To: Women

In Relief Society we discussed Pres. Uchtdorf's General Conference talk. He began his talk by telling the story of Moses, and how he was raised in Pharaoh's court where there was nothing but gold, silver, idols, gems, and every manner of thing that boosts man higher than everything else. When Moses received his revelation from God, he stated, "Now I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed." The grandeur of all God's creations was so infinitely beautiful that all the greatness Moses had grown up with was "nothing" compared to all that God had done.

And you know the mind boggling thing? God created all that breathtaking, mysterious beauty--everything from the most massive amount of space and stars and planets to the world's smallest atom of the smallest cell--for us.

How wonderful it is to think that compared to God, we are nothing; and yet, we are everything to God. Think of it, President Uchtdorf says. You are remembered by the most powerful Being in the universe. You are loved by the Creator of infinite space and everlasting time! (Those aren't the exact words, but the truth is still there.)

In this Relief Society lesson we were asked to think of people whose names may never make it onto plaques or receive awards, but those who have done things so great that God will certainly remember them and reward them in His own way. I was prompted to share: "I think everyone who has or ever will be a mom. (Whether that be in this life or the next.) They often forget how important they really are."

I had a talk with a very close friend yesterday, who is pregnant. As we were talking, I just wanted her to know, so badly, how much she had influenced me and how much she meant, not only to me, but to Heavenly Father. I wanted her to know, as well as every other woman out there who may be struggling with motherhood or other things in their lives, that their Heavenly Father LOVES them. So much! He cries every time you do; He cries every time He sees you struggle; and He cries when you talk yourself down, and deny how truly important you are to Him.

I also felt prompted after the lesson to share my testimony with the Relief Society sisters. I told them that they are worth it. They are SO important to God. A lot of them were probably thinking, "How can she say that? She doesn't know me!" And they'd be right. I don't. But I know who... they... are. I know that they are daughters of a King, and that they deserve to know that they are princesses.

I know that I talk myself down a lot--so don't think that I'm preaching or anything. I am at fault probably more than anyone else! But I just want all the women EVERYWHERE to know and to trust that they are daughters of a King, and that they can trust in Him to help them. God doesn't care what you look like, what you've done, or who you think you are... He loves you so much. And He always, always will.

Our Little Monkey

That's right. The sign (that my sister, Carissa, made) says it all. On September 30th, Parker had his FIRST BIRTHDAY.


This is, yet, another gift from Carissa. Isn't she SO talented?

If it weren't for an idea for cupcakes that I'd found, the party never would have happened like this. But, since I did find the cupcake idea months ago, we decided to have the birthday theme be "Monkeys", which worked out nicely since Parker seems to be everywhere, and when he gets excited, his mouth forms an "o" and he just "oohs" at everything. Parker seemed to know that it was a special day; he cheesed it all night whenever the camera came out.

Amidst some family and friends, Parker simply stared at the wavering flame in front of him. Of course, Cam had to blow it out for him, and then Parker set to work on a cupcake of his very own, picking off the Nutter Butter monkey ears first.

He didn't get as dirty as I thought he might. It was only when he wiped his exhausted, too-much-birthday-for-one-day eyes that he got frosting on more than just his lips. He wasn't too excited to be cleaned up after that.

In truth, I was more excited for his day than I have ever been for any of mine (in my adult life, that is). I was sad to see him go down at the end of the day because I didn't want his special day to end. Maybe I just didn't want his first year of life to be over already; it happened too quickly.

Happy Birthday, Parker! Daddy and I love you so much! You teach us patience, but you make us laugh. We are so excited to come home to you when we're gone because you are so ecstatic to see us. You are so forgiving. You are the perfect first child--you make us think that good parenting, for the most part, is possible. We look forward to teaching you the gospel, but know that you will, most times, show us how to live it.

Miscellaneous

I kinda get the feeling that a lot of my posts might have that same title. So much seems to happen during some weeks that I'm not sure what to write. I guess I'll start from the beginning and just randomly place things on the page.

First of all, two days after my last post, Parker started crawling. It's a one-knee, one-foot crawl, but he gets around. The first time he actually did it, you should have seen the grin that showed his six little teeth! He was so pleased with himself.
I can't believe that he's turning into a little boy! He's not a baby anymore! NOOOOO!!!!!! Ha, just kidding. It's fun to watch him grow.

Next of all, I made this! No, not the picture above--well, I guess I made that, too, but look at the picture below!

Yes. Why, yes, I did. Can you tell that I am super proud of my achievement?! I've never made a loaf of bread that is so pretty, so yummy, and so... unhealthy for you. But, scratch that last part. I'm pretty excited about it. Just watch... I'll use the exact same recipe for the rest of my life and nothing will ever turn out this great again. :)

I suppose I could talk about Labor Day weekend. My sister, Carissa, drove us up to Wallsburg where we spent the time with family. I was able to help in the nut booth with McKenna and Mom, which was fabulous. The time spent with family is always too short. I love you, guys!

I think that's about it for the past week. I really enjoy watching Parker's happy face as he accomplishes something. And I really enjoy seeing our bank account skyrocket as Cam receives his paychecks. Ha, ha. Life is good...

My Favorite Part

Parker is eleven months today and, no, he isn't crawling yet.

I know, right?

He does, however, have his own method of getting around. He gets on his hands and knees (sometimes even his hands and feet if he wants BIG results) and places his bum to one side and sits. Getting on his hands and knees again, he tilts his bum to the other side, each time moving closer and closer to a desired object. This process is repeated until he manages to reach a predetermined area or toy.
It doesn't seem that he could be able to move that quickly like this, but believe me... he has this move down. He can cross the room like THAT!

Other goings on in our household include the fact that Cam survived his first full week of teaching. And he still wants to be a teacher! Whew! Was I relieved! His class of 31 students hasn't given him too much grief.
I asked him what his favorite part about being a teacher is, and his response was: "I like when a student doesn't understand something and I go over to help them and explain things to them, and then a few minutes later, they're like, 'Oh! I get it!'"

I thought it was a good reason.

I was, in turn, asked by Cam what my favorite part about being a stay-at-home mom was. In truth... I couldn't really think of anything right away. And the only thing I told him was, "I like having my own schedule. I have stuff to do, but I'm not pressured too much into completing them at a certain time."

Seriously?! That's my FAVORITE part? I gotta do better than that.

So... I thought about it. A lot. What IS my favorite part about being a stay-at-home mom? While I was thinking, Parker pushed his toys away and climbed onto my lap, grinning and showing only four teeth. I smiled back and picked him up, realizing (and it should have been obvious) that Parker is my favorite part about being a stay-at-home mom. He smiles crookedly as he tries to line up his new teeth, he laughs at the simplest things, and he talks to himself while he plays in the living room. He cries and fusses, but that's every baby. Despite the fact that he is only eleven months old, he and I actually have fun together. Who'da thought a 23 year old could have fun with someone so young?

I love being a stay-at-home mom. It has it's challenges, but that's up to me to fix. And I can. I love my hubby, Cam, and all the hard work he puts into teaching and providing for our family. I love the fact that he is such a FANTASTIC father. Not only do I love it when Daddy comes home, but Parker does, too. He reaches out for Cam, squealing and waiting for him to pick him up and toss him in the air. If Cam disappears into the bathroom before Parker gets his turn, prepare yourself: Parker may throw a fit.

I love my boys! That's my favorite part about... about everything!

It's Always Fun When Family Comes...

This weekend my brother, Devin, and his wife, Jessica, made the 3 hour drive to Cedar City, and spent some time with us. We are so grateful to them for making the journey, and for letting us drag them all over Cedar having fun with us. Well... WE thought it was fun. Hopefully they did, too.

They arrived in Cedar Friday night, which turned into one of those "stay-up-really-late-and-chat" nights. I love those!

On Saturday, we hiked Kannarraville Falls; the hike was supposed to be a ward activity, but ended up being us and Parker, Devin and Jessica, Burke and Teresa Bess with their son, Hinckley, and Ken and Kim Richards, some friends in our ward. It was fun, nonetheless!

(From left to right) Teresa, Burke, Hinckley, Jessica, Devin, Me, Parker, and Cam

Thanks to Burke and Teresa, we were able to tote Parker around in style. :)



Parker decided that he didn't like the waterfall.

Toward the end, Parker got so tired...

...and eventually went right to sleep.

Later that day, the four of us played Frisbee Golf, then cooled off with some Golden Spoon frozen yogurt. The day ended by helping Carissa move into her new house/apartment and then dinner and dessert while watching Tangled.

Devin and Jessica left after Sunday dinner. We love when family comes to spend time with us, and we're so glad they made the trip to do so! We're happy that Carissa moved down here, too, for her Sophomore year of college at SUU. We'll be seeing a lot of her... again. And we're excited, believe you me!

Ready Or Not... Summer is Over!

I could blame the lack of blog postings on a busy summer and... well, in truth it has been. But I'm not saying that there have been days so busy that I couldn't have posted because I could have easily sat down on Sundays (like today) and updated the blog. Consequentially, I am about to splatter all of our summer activities onto the Internet in the most delicate way possible--delicately splatter... hm...

The summer started off with the wedding of my brother, Devin, to his gorgeous bride, Jessica, on May 21st. After a day of gathering at the temple, and having a reception at Jessica's parents' home, all the girls were giddy, and wanted to relive the day.
Parker, however, was the orneriest he has ever been, meeting so many people, getting sunburned, breaking out in rashes after eating too many new, exciting foods, and--oh! his first tooth decided to break through that day. Not the best of weekends for the li'l guy. But for the rest of the family, it was one of the happiest.

On June 4th, Cam and I participated in a 5K Mudrun with our cousins, Ryan and Beckie, and their son, Devon. From sliding through the mud underneath a wire fence to being baptized in muddy water as we went over and under railroad ties, it was one of the events that made our summer!

Later that day, the family gathered at the Cedar City airport to bid farewell to Cam's brother, Marc, who is serving in Iraq. It was a powerful reminder to me of how important and how wonderful family is.

Events such as our 3rd wedding anniversary in June, watching fireworks with the family, participating in 24th of July talent shows, ward campouts and hikes, and having family come spend time with us have occupied our summer. I also ran the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon in July, and, let me just say, that it was one of the coolest things I have ever done. There's nothing like a scenic, downhill, 13.1 mile run early in the morning. Emphasis on the "downhill" part.

Cam worked in Panguitch all week, every week this summer, so Parker and I were only able to be with our beloved husband/father on the weekends. He made good money so we're not complaining. Now, he is getting ready to teach 5th grade at Iron Springs Elementary. The last two weeks have been nothing but trainings, lesson plans, bulletin boards, name tags, and every other "make-school-as-fun-as-possible-for-the-kiddies" thing you can think of.

We are looking forward to time spent with friends and family, and watching each other learn and grow as we go through and support each other in new experiences. As far as new experiences go, Cam was set apart today as Elders' Quorum President, which will be an adventure for sure. We also look forward to watching our li'l Parkster grow--he'll be ONE next month!

There you have it: a delicacy platter of summer activities. Er, a delicate splatter of summer activities. Take your pick, but whatever you choose, I'll post more often in the future.

All Grown Up

No, we're not talking about this li'l guy--although he is growing up really fast.


We're talking about this li'l guy!
On May 7, 2011, Cameron Henrie officially graduated from SUU in Elementary Education.
Way to go, honey!

We had lots of family that came to support him.
Thanks to all!

Forever Family

On a particularly windy day, some of our dear friends volunteered to do a family photo shoot. Despite the wind, we got some pretty good pictures. Thanks, John and Cori!

To see the rest of them, visit jaybird-photo.blogspot.com.

Employed!

Yes, judging by the title of this post, Cam received a teaching job! And not only any teaching job, but a position right here in Cedar City. He'll be teaching 5th grade at Iron Springs Elementary. We have been extremely, EXTREMELY blessed.

Also, I believe I have a phobia of moving. So... I am also very happy that we don't have to move! :)

Easter Weekend

Truth be told, the weekend wasn't very Easter-y. On Friday, Cam and I took Parker and our nephew, Hayden, to Bryce Canyon. Unfortunately, the breeze was rather chilly so we didn't stay long. But, the boys apparently enjoyed it with their "oohs" and "ahs" as they looked down at the red landscape.