Day 666: More Mama

My mom will probably be my Joyful Moments for the next few days.  I'll try to mix it up, but I just really love my mama.

So, we'll say that today's Joyful Moment was working out with her.  Combining running and talking to one of my favorite people to talk to was so fun!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that you can't help but be a repetitive about because they're just that great!

Day 665: I Done Stole My Mama

I did.

Except, she came quite willingly.  She drove all the way with us yesterday.  And let me tell you--the best thing to have on hand the day after a trip is my mama.  She helped unpack, cleaned up all sorts of things, kept the kids happy while I cleaned other things, and babied me.

I kind of like being babied.

So, today was full of Joyful Moments because they were all shared with her!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments and at least a little babying!

Day 664: Still Ode-Worthy

Sorry to do a repeat, but I really can't do any better than this.  Please, refer to this post to see what today's Joyful Moment was:  http://abiding-joy.blogspot.com/search?q=ode+to+bed

Wishing you all Joyful Moments and comfy beds!

Day 663: God Is Love

That was the title of my little sister's Sunday School lesson today.  We all attended together and it was fabulous.  I LOVE going to church with my family!  And my sister is a really great teacher.  I felt the Spirit and enjoyed the discussion on the many testaments we have of God's love for each of us.  Thanks for the Joyful Moment, Little Sis!

There were more Joyful Moments in celebrating my niece's birthday.  She's beautiful and darling and it was so fun to see how happy she was about her pink cake.

And then we ended the evening with a fun game of Balderdash.  Having my definition of blabagogy (or, something like that) voted the best definition of the game was probably my biggest Joyful Moment.  I'm all about being prideful over important things like that.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are very important!

Day 662: Put Me In A Museum

This morning we met up with some wonderful friends at my parents' home.  We had such an excellent time chatting (and eating a yummy breakfast) that I forgot to break out the camera.  So, no photos.  They are beautiful people, so you'll just have to imagine.  But, be sure to imagine ample Joyful Moments.  Because there were.

Then we went to the museum with all of my family that was in town.

More cousin reunions.  Except the little boy on the end.  He's not ours.  They're all watching some informative movie.  It figures that we take them to a cool museum full of stuffed wildlife to walk around and explore and they find the movie to sit down and watch.

Me and my sisters.  My brothers didn't make it this year, so we had to represent alone.  That little girl in purple is super jealous she's not one of us.

Tons of Joyful Moments with my family today.  Probably culminating in some impromptu lip synching this evening.  My favorite.  We almost all died laughing.  It was hysterical.  Too hard to decide which photos to post because there were so many great ones, so again, you'll have to imagine.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are so amazing, you can't even imagine!

Day 661: Fondubulous!

My mother-in-law's birthday is coming up in a bit.  But since we were all together today, we celebrated it early.  And a fondue party has become the tradition in recent years.

I love fondue.  So, eating it to celebrate a wonderful mother-in-law is a pretty excellent Joyful Moment.

I will just quickly mention a nice run with HH's mom, dad, and sister this morning, watching some football (I may, or may not have slept through most of the first half), and then playing games after the kids were in bed.

I'm really blessed to have in-laws that are awesome and I love.

Wishing you all awesome and lovable Joyful Moments!

Day 660: Turkey Bowl

Well, today was chock full of Joyful Moments.

Besides being deathly ill all day.  But what can you do?

HH's family goes bowling every Thanksgiving morning.  A few years ago, a trophy was created and it is taken home by the high sore winner each year.

Guess who won this year?

Absolutely not me.  I pretty much lost.  But HH won.  I think he actually had the highest two scores.  It was a BIG deal.  I couldn't be prouder.  Seeing him hoist that trophy in triumph was definitely a Joyful Moment.

Reuniting these happy cousins was a pretty excellent Joyful Moment, as well.

And then, there was all of the Joyful Moments involved in Thanksgiving Day, making wonderful food, eating the wonderful food, and sharing happy times with family.

Really, it was a great day.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments to be grateful for!

Day 659: More Hugs

This morning we enjoyed breakfast with my grandparents at their assisted living facility.  It was great to see them and hug them and talk to them.  I was a little shy around them all growing up, so every visit I get, I feel like I come to know them and love them more and more.

And since we were eating for most of the visit, the kids were not quite as crazy as they can be.   Not quite.

All Joyful Moments.

Wishing you Joyful Moments that do not exceed the acceptable amount of crazy!

Day 658: Faster Than Expected

We traveled to my aunt's home today.  And we made it in much less time than I anticipated.  And everyone traveled pretty well!  All Joyful Moments, to be sure.

But, of course, the best Joyful Moment was giving my sweet aunt a big hug and being able to visit with her and her husband for a couple hours before it was time for bed.  She is just super sweet and generous and wonderful.  It was a fabulous visit.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments where you get the yucky stuff out of the way quicker than expected, so you can enjoy the good stuff!

Day 657: Story Time

Today was not the best day of my life.

In all fairness I should state that it wasn't the worst day either.

Now that we're clear...

I'm going to have to go with snuggling with Little M during story time today.  He's such a perfect kid to snuggle with.  He's so sweet.

And exactly what I needed.

I love him.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments as sweet as Little M!

Day 656: Later On We'll Conspire

Well, I didn't exactly get to "dream" by the fire.  But I did get to lay down by it.

It was so cozy and warm.

And then I was attacked.

By everyone in the family--including Z, the dog.

But it was nice.  In a chaotic sort of way.  The kids get so excited about the fire in the fireplace.  And Baby B just gets excited when I'm down on his level and so easily accessible.  Then he feels he must snuggle.  In as snuggly a way as is possible.  It's kind of difficult to explain if you've never seen it.  He just tries to be as snuggled in with me as he can get.  It's cute.

Sweet P and Little M are a little rough when it comes to snuggling by the fire, but it's still fun to cuddle all together.

And, of course, I'll take whatever snuggle time I can get with my HH.

So, it was a Joyful snuggly family Moment tonight.  Kind of random, but fun.

Wishing you all Joyful snuggly Moments!

Day 655: It's Beginning To Look

Well, it's not really looking like Christmas yet, but I'm feeling so much more ready for it today.  We bought almost all of Christmas presents this morning.  And I had a coupon for nearly all of them.  It was awesome.  Huge Joyful Moment in making great progress in being ready (and avoiding department stores as we get closer to those crazy shopping days).

Actually, I think the greatest Joyful Moment was finding Pillow Pets on sale at Kohl's and having a $10 off coupon.  Sweet P has been asking for a Pillow Pet ever since her cousin got one last year.  Little M just always wants whatever she has.  I found a dinosaur pillow pet for him and a zebra one for her (she's recently become rather interested in zebras).  I am SO excited.  They're supposed to be for their birthdays because we've already got them enough for Christmas, but it's going to be hard for me to wait that long!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in finding perfect gifts for your loved ones!

Day 654: Missionary Boots

I wore my cute new boots this morning after getting ready at the gym.  I just had a good feeling about it.  They actually led to a lengthy conversation with one of my good friends about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

She's an amazing and inspirational woman, going through some really tough stuff right now.  I've been praying for her and looking for anything I can do to help her.  And I felt quite strongly that sharing my belief in eternal families is the best thing I can do for her at this time.  So, having the opportunity to share that with her this morning, as she was asking many questions about my faith was totally today's Joyful Moment.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that support your boot habit!

Day 653: Chit-Chat

Baby B seems to be following in his older siblings' footsteps in the verbal category.  He's become quite the chatterbox lately.  And he's so serious about what he says, too.  It's really quite sweet.  We have conversations all day long.  I don't understand a word of what he's saying 99.9% of the time.  His English vocabulary is ever-growing, but he either uses the words and short phrases he knows, or his own gibberish--the two are never intermingled.

Changing his diaper or clothes is usually a nightmare.  He's at that busy busy toddler stage where he can't stand being forced to lay still for one minute.  But, tonight, he lay there quite calmly as I got him ready for bed and he told me all about... something.  No idea what, but he was quite earnest and it was darling.  And it was such a nice change from fighting him during the entire process and listening to his screams instead.

And when he was all dressed in his snuggly jammies, he stood up and gave me a hug.

And the whole thing was my Joyful Moment.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that don't require coherency to be enjoyed!

Day 652: Opinions!

So, I know his face is in the shadows, but what do you think of this one?  Do you think it's better than the one posted yesterday?

So, there's this new book called "Daughters in My Kingdom".  You can read more about it here.  I'm in a bit of a hurry tonight.  Basically, it's a wonderful book explaining the history of the Relief Society, an amazing organization of women doing God's work.

One of my sweet sisters-in-law suggested reading this book together and having a long-distance book group as women in our family.  We read a chapter and discuss it via email.  It has been my turn to lead the discussion on Chapter 5 for the past two or three weeks.  The past two or three weeks have been some of the craziest and busiest of my life.  Yesterday and today I finally had some down time and I got all caught up.  Beginning the discussion on Chapter 5 and not holding my family up any more was today's Joyful Moment.

And then came an unexpected Joyful Moment in reading my sister-in-law's wonderful advice on how to help curb my son's tendency to pretend he's shooting everyone and everything everywhere we go.  And to find out that everyone else in the group with a son has similar concerns.  And her advice feels exactly right, as usual.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments at finally getting caught up on the good things in life!

Day 652: First Photo Shoot

There has been a cry for recent pictures of the kids.  So, I decided to put my camera to the test.  I waited until the lighting was good and awful and we headed out.

This boy was all over the place and pretty much impossible to shoot.  Although, while uploading pictures of the other two, I did find a better one I got of him than this.  If my bed weren't calling my name so sweetly, I'd take the time to upload and share.

My little ham.  I got some great ones of him smiling like a normal child, too, but this was one of my favorites.  Even if they all sport those yucky shadows from the horrible lighting conditions.

And now, for the piece de resistance--

I'm really proud of the artsy-ness of this photo.  If you feel differently, please, keep your opinions to yourselves.  I thought it was quite sweet.  I can't wait to edit it and make it even cooler.

I'll be honest--taking the pictures was anything but a Joyful Moment.  I was rushing to get them done before the lighting go any worse and their noses got any redder and Baby B ran off altogether.  Madness.

But going through them (all 162) and finding a few good ones was a Joyful Moment.  Kind of a proud Joyful Moment.

Go me.

Wishing you all proud Joyful Moments!

Day 651: Patience, Turkey

The kids helped me make these cupcakes this afternoon:

We made a few more, but by then it was too messy to pull the camera out.  The darker one was a Nutella one Sweet P tried.  It definitely sounded tastier than frosting, but it didn't hold together quite as well.  Making them with the kids was today's Joyful Moment, though.  They're getting to be quite proficient in the kitchen and I really only had to help with the eyes on the cupcakes they decorated.  And Baby B sat happily on a stool and watched the whole thing.  I was amazed he didn't get jealous and beg to be involved, but he just sat happy as a clam.

We've only just started letting him sit on a bar stool.  They don't have backs, so it makes me quite nervous.  But he is ridiculously happy, it's hard to resist.  I just stay close.

Anyway, it was a fun Joyful Moment-y afternoon getting crafty in the kitchen with my young'uns.  And then Little M taught our Family Home Evening lesson about Tom the Turkey Learns Patience.  Which made these little guys the perfect treat to end our evening.

Good times.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments leaving you as happy as a toddler on a bar stool!

Day 650: Get What You Need

This morning was Stake Conference.

Not to be confused with Steak Conference.  That would be an entirely different situation.

Stake Conference is when all of the wards (congregational units) in an area meet together for two hours of instruction from the Stake Presidency (leaders over the area).

Sorry, sometimes it's like we speak a whole different language in our church.

Anyway, this morning's was a unique meeting.  Our Stake Presidency has been in place for over 10 years.  That is a very long time because these men are busy with weekly meetings and innumerable responsibilities that come with having stewardship over so many people.  It's kind of exhausting.  When there is a change up in the leadership, some of our leaders from Salt Lake City (called General Authorities) come to prayerfully determine who should take over.

It's a pretty amazing process from what I understand.

So, this morning we had the opportunity to hear from the two General Authorities who came out for this.  And they were so inspirational.  What they taught was nothing new, but it was exactly what I needed to hear.  It was a reminder to rededicate ourselves to personal prayer, family prayer (morning and night), personal scripture study, and family scripture study, and regular Family Home Evenings.  I felt the Spirit of the Lord so strongly as they spoke.

A few months ago, I realized I needed to rededicate myself to my daily scripture study and I prayed for help.  Since then, I have read many inspirational quotes and talks about why scripture study is important and I've heard many things as well.  It's made my desire to make that extra effort to wake up early and truly study and ponder so much stronger.

There was also a meeting last night that I was unable to attend, but fortunately, HH went and came home to share with me.  He said one of the men said (paraphrasing HH paraphrasing him here), "It's not so much about learning all of the information and knowledge there is in the scriptures.  We'll be able to have that knowledge in the eternities.  It's about the sanctification that comes from reading them daily."

I add my testimony to that.  I always feel blessed and better when I read my scriptures, particularly when I'm reading them consistently every day.  But--when I read them first thing in the morning, I have those blessings and sanctification with me all day long and I am a better mother, wife, and person for it.  I have more patience and love for my family and am better equipped to deal with whatever stress or challenges the day brings.  And it's happened enough that I see a direct correlation with the dedication to my scripture study.

Maybe that should be my theme for next year...

Anyway, this morning's meeting, so full of the Spirit, was today's Joyful Moment.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that inspire you in the way you need!

Day 649: O Tannenbaum

Did I ever tell you about the time I broke our Christmas tree?

I was teaching my mom and little sister some yoga the day after Christmas (or, was it Christmas morning?) and I fell over and broke the stand.

It was a cheap tree we bought at WalMart when we were dirt poor and I really didn't like it, so I wasn't at all sad.  We all got a pretty good laugh out of it, actually.

Well, not the kids.  They were quite upset and when about telling people about how "Mom broke our Christmas tree" for quite some time.  Not at all embarrassing.

Anyway, that was a few Christmases ago and we haven't actually bought a replacement tree yet.  The first year after The Incident we were away for Christmas, so we didn't bother getting a tree at all.  This was a mistake because it never really felt like Christmas for me that year.  But my plan was to buy a nice tree during the after-Christmas clearance.  However, since we were away, this ended up being impossible.

Last year we bought a real tree, again with the intent of buying a tree after Christmas for cheap.

Didn't happen.

Guess what I did this morning?

I ordered us a new tree.

And I knew right then and there that would be today's Joyful Moment.  Not that there haven't been more. It just was so exciting.  I love Christmas and I'm thrilled to have our own tree again.

And it's pre-lit!

Wishing you all pre-lit Joyful Moments--just be careful where you do your yoga!

Day 648: Processing

A couple days ago a shelf in a cupboard in my kitchen broke.  It's one of those shelves where you can adjust the height.  I suppose that can be a convenience.  But it also weakens the shelf.

I'd prefer a strong, stationary shelf.

Anyway, I finally got around to fixing it this morning.  And in the process, I rediscovered the food processor that came with my new (as of last year) blender.  I hadn't opened it up because I already had a food processor.  I kept it in the box and put it in the back corner of this weak shelf.

I HATE my food processor.  It's tiny and poorly designed and makes a huge mess every time I use it.

The new one is not exactly this, but it's a huge improvement over the old one.  And I even needed it today.  It was so nice to not wind up with Oreo crumbs all over my whole kitchen when I was done!  Total Joyful Moment in that find.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are a great find!

Day 647: More Of Us

More of Us Time, that is.
It's been another crazy week where HH and I have basically tag-teamed it every night this week and have scarcely seen each other.

We have about 45 minutes together right now.  We're going to play a round of Phase 10.  The Deluxe version.  It's in a tin.

This is my Joyful Moment to have a brief bit of time with my HH.

Wishing you all Deluxe Joyful Moments!

Day 646: Forever Friends

I know I've posted this as my Joyful Moment before, but I can't help myself.

The love and friendship between these two is such a Joyful Moment for me, as a mom.

I only pray it continues forever.

Because families are forever.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are forever!

Day 645: Hi-Ya!

Tonight I took Sweet P to TaeKwonDo.  I was going to run an errand while she was in class, but it was so rainy and dark and dismal, I decided to stick with my simplify theme and just stay and watch.

And I'm glad I did.  It was fun just to watch her, but during one of the exercises I caught her eye and then I watched her proudly smile as she went through the rest of the routine, knowing I was watching her.

She really is sweet.

And tonight, she was my Joyful Moment.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments found in catching someone's eye!

Day 644: Simplistic

I've been feeling pretty yucky for about a week now, but I think I'm finally on the downhill side of my nasty cold.  To celebrate, I went for a run this morning.  I felt kind of yucky during the first and last miles, but the 2 1/2 in between were the best I've felt in a long time.  No pain!  Just easy, light, enjoyable running.

Joyful Moment beyond compare.

But the day gets even better.

Every year I get the kids and HH each their own Christmas ornament.  I have a ton and I want them to have more like me.  Every year I stress and stress over finding the perfect one for each of them.  Seriously, sometimes that is the hardest gift to come by!

Well, today I was out and saw these really cute ornaments.  No, they have no significance to what has happened to anyone in my household over the last year.  But, they are darling.  And I know my kids will love them.  So, I decided to simplify.  I bought them all identical ornaments.

And I can't tell you what a relief it is to have that done.

Whew.

Huge Joyful Moment right there, Folks.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are huge and beyond compare!

Day 643: He's Always Good For A Laugh

Baby B, that is.

Except, when he's not.

But, tonight, he was.

Little M was feeling excessively energetic (even for himself) at dinner tonight.  So, in the middle of dinner he got up to do some push ups in the neighboring living room.  Baby B had already given up on dinner and was already running around.  When he saw what Little M was doing, he got on the floor next to him and started doing the most adorable push ups I've ever seen.

They were quite lacking in form, but there was no mistaking that that was what he was doing.  It was so funny!

Making laughter today's Joyful Moment.

I tried to get some footage, but then he wanted nothing to do with push ups.  Typical and Sad.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments full of laughter!

Day 642: Manners, Pease!

Have I mentioned that Baby B has been fantastic about saying "Dee Doo!" (Thank you) almost since he began talking?  Seriously, it was one of the first things he learned to say and he's always saying it to me when I give him something (or, when he gives me something--pretty cute).

But for the longest time he absolutely refused to say, "please".  And I mean refused.  I would calmly ask him to "say please" when he wanted something and he would throw an all out tantrum.  It was kind of comical, because when I did give him what he wanted, he would calm down and sweetly say, "Dee Doo!"

There's a pleading face, if I've ever seen one.

Finally, in the last week, or so, he started saying, "Pease!" upon request.

Tonight at dinner, he held his empty cup out to HH and said (without prompting), "Mo, pease?"

And that was my Joyful Moment.

Because manners matter.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments with all the proper etiquette!

Day 641: Just Us

The last few weeks have been so crazy and full and busy, HH and I haven't really had any down time together.

Tonight, we just sat and talked for a while and shared some of our favorite songs with each other on YouTube.  It was so nice to just chill with my best friend for a while.

This is a photo from many moons ago when we were just babies, as my mom would say.  Blake is dressing up in our snowman kit we'd just received from her.  He's always been the most fun.

This kind of time with him is always a Joyful Moment, even when it's not long overdue.  But it was all the more appreciated tonight.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments just chillin'!

Day 640: My Babies

I've been slowly succumbing to a nasty cold as of late.

Today it really took hold.

Tonight I might have been laying on the floor (very dignified) with complete exhaustion.  Why are colds so tiring?  Anyway, while I was thus, one by one each of my children came over and snuggled up with me.

Joyful Moment.

I love my babies.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are very dignified!

Day 639: Perfect Night For Ice Cream

So, I failed to mention that we had a glorious warming spell for Halloween.  I mean, I was actually outside in a short sleeve shirt for the first part of the festivities.  And even as it cooled down, I still didn't have to worry about the kids getting the least bit cold.

It was sort of amazing.

Fast forward to today (two days later, in case you can't keep track).  We had a down pouring of snow.  SNOW!  It's so cold and yucky out!

But that didn't stop me and a bunch of friends getting together to eat ice cream and celebrate the birthday of one of our sweetest friends.  She's been an especially good friend to me and also happens to be the amazing violin instructor of not one, but two of my children.

So, hanging out to celebrate her was definitely the Joyful Moment of this cold day!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments on yucky, cold days!

Day 368: These Boots Were Made

For Joyful Moments.

I mean, look how cute they are.

And they're mine.

I couldn't be happier.  I finally have a pair of boots that fits over, or under, every pair of jeans I own.  This makes me happy.  Plus, the nice neutral taupe goes with black OR brown.  They couldn't get more versatile.

And did I mention that I LOVE them?

I've been craving boots like this ever since I went with my mom to get her hair cut a year ago and her hair dresser had a similar pair.

SO EXCITED!!!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that satisfy your deepest cravings!