Conference...

I'm so grateful for General Conference!  What a grand experience we just partook of!  What an honor to be part of the Solemn Assembly.  It was so fun to watch Olivia try to take it all in.  She watched me stand with the Relief Society and raise my hand in sustaining our new Prophet.  After I sat down, she stood up and did likewise.  It reminds me that she is watching me ALL the time.  She will continue to learn from my example, both good and bad.  It was a good reminder of the stewardship I have for one of our Heavenly Father's children.  With that on my mind, I really appreciated and loved Elder Ballard's talk.  I hope all mothers everywhere got to hear this talk, or will at least get to read it soon!  He rejuvenated my spirit and gave me renewed hope!  He let me know that I'm doing ok, and that it is ok to admit that I can be doing more.  I hope you don't mind, but I want to share with you the highlights that really stood out to me.  First, he reminded me that "We all are beloved of God.  He has a plan for us.  He wants us to receive the highest blessings of eternity.  He recognizes that we all make sacrifices to rear our children and to guide them in a busy and demanding world." Isn't it nice to know that someone recognizes that?  Another favorite feel good quote for me was, "There is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of Motherhood.  There is no one perfect way to be a good mother.  The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family."  I learned that there is no reason to compare myself to the 'Jones' or the 'Smiths' or anyone else.  My family is unique to me, and so are our challenges.  He went on to say, "What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply.  And in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."  I do love my child deeply.  I try to put Brad and Olivia above all else in my life.  Do I always succeed?  No.  But I believe that is part of being human, and part of what we are here to learn.  Elder Ballard then gave this advice... "Focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life.  It is crucial to focus on the children for the short time we have them with us, and to seek with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes.  This eternally important work falls to mother and fathers as equal partners."  I really appreciated this.  To realize that we only have a very short time to teach each of our children all that we should makes me want to do better each moment that I have with Olivia.  After all, it is my job, right?  Then Elder Ballard gave advice to each mom that would help reduce pressure and would help us enjoy our families more.  Want to hear it?  Alright, just keep reading...

~ Motherhood comes in moments.  Shining moments of joy and satisfaction!  Live in the moment before the moment is gone.  Treasure the "doing" and little more and the "getting it done" a little less.  

~ Don't over schedule yourself or your children!  Families need unstructured time.  Take time to listen, laugh and play together.

~ Find some time for yourself!  Use it to enrich your talents and to turn to the Lord. Fulfill yourself so you have something to give back to your family.

~ Pray, Study and Teach the Gospel. It will benefit you and your family.

I so appreciated and needed to hear the appreciation Elder Ballard expressed for mothers. He made sure we knew that the Lord loves us and knows what we sacrifice to raise these beautiful gifts we call children.  I just want to finish with this quote...  "The family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."  I know this sounds like a talk, and I'm sorry for that.  I was just so touched by his comments, I had to write them down while they are fresh in my mind.  What did you find extra special in conference?

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Today is Olivia's birthday!  I can't believe my little girl just turned TWO!  Holy mackerel!  Here are some pictures from her special day.  We had the opportunity to have my parents down from Cache Valley, Richard and Marianne and kids, Carol, Robyn and the Kent girls, and my friend Sarah.  We had so much fun.  Olivia was in heaven and got some great presents.  Thank You to everyone who helped make my little Olivia's birthday so fantastic!  We sure love ya!

Yes, it is a horse.  It makes galloping noises and 

neighs when you squeeze it's ear.

Olivia just chillin' under a chair and waiting for the party to get started!

My mom helped me decorate this cake.  She's amazing!

Olivia enjoying the cake and icecream!  Can you say sugar high?

Yup, I allowed her to lick the spatula from the frosting bowl.

Adorable new swimsuit from Robyn and the girls!

Rec center, here we come!

Aunt Carol gave Olivia this bag of hair accessories.  

She LOVES it!  Thanks Carol!

Need a nanny?

As you can probably tell... Olivia decided the doggie needed a diaper change.  I had just finished changing her diaper when she brought me the wipes.  I got one out for her thinking she was going to start cleaning my house for me.  Nope, she then goes and gets a diaper and the powder and brings it out into the family room.  She then proceeds to place her doggie on the diaper, powder his bottom and wipe his tummy.  She was really concerned making sure everything was where it should be.  Really just too cute not to show everyone.

Olivia-ism

I thought this story was too funny not to share. I get a text message tonight from Brad that just says, "Your Daughter!" I thought, "Have I missed a message somewhere? What's going on?" So, I called him. He tells me that he has Olivia in the tub. He had just got done filling her tub with bubbles, and had turned his back to her so he could put the bubbles away, when he hears her say, "Uh oh!" Never a good sound to hear from your 2 year old... Brad turns around and sees that Olivia has something in her hand, which she is holding out to him. He thinks she has broken one of her toys or something. He reaches out his hand to take whatever it is from her, and she drops it into his hand. Aauugghhh! Too late, he realizes it is an almond size piece of POOP!!! Apparently it had been stuck between her cheeks, and she found it floating in the water! GROSS! Poor Brad! (Although I can honestly say I'm so glad it was him and not me!) He told me he threw it in the garbage can and quickly washed his hands! :) While I was talking to him on the phone, (me laughing, him talking...) I hear him say, "Olivia, don't poop in the tub! Do you have to go poop?" To which she replies, "Yes... poo poo." I quickly hung up with him so he could get her onto the toilet seat. I haven't asked for updates, but I hope she made it in the toilet. This will definitely be something for us to laugh about for quite a while!

More Sleep for the Morris Family

I thought I'd update everyone on how the toddler bed is working for Olivia... I'm happy to say that we have had TWO successful nights of sleeping THROUGH the night again! For the first 5 nights or so, she would wake up around 3:30, wander into our room if we had left her door open, or sit and knock on her door and holler, "Mama... Dada" until we let her out. But, I think she has finally accepted that it's her new sleeping arrangements, and I think she likes it now. Here's keeping my fingers crossed that it all continues! Thanks for all the advice!

I've Been Tagged...

Ashley tagged me on her blog, so I'm going to play along... Thanks Ash! This is a questionairre about my relationship with Brad so here goes...

#1. How long have you been together? We've been married for 4 years and 4 months.
#2. How long did you date? We started dating in May 2003, and got married Jan. 2004.
#3.How old is he? 34
#4. Who eats more? I don't really know. Guess it depends on what we're eating.
#5. Who said I Love You First? That's kinda hard.. Brad told me that I loved HIM before I ever said it, and I agreed with him.
#6. Who is taller? Brad
#7. Who sings better? Definitely Brad
#8. Who is smarter? I think Brad is.
#9. Who does the laundry? I do the laundry, but only because he works so much and doesn't have time to.
#10. Who does the dishes? Me, although he will load the dishwasher for me. Thanks babe!
#11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? The right side as your facing the bed or as your lying on it? If I'm laying down on the bed, I'm on the right side.
#12. Who pays the bills? I put Brad in charge of it because money just stresses me out.
#13. Who mows the lawn? In our rental we both would, now that we're in the new place they hire it out to a crew! So, neither of us do! Yahoo!
#14. Who cooks dinner? I do when I'm home, and when I feel like cooking. If I'm at work Brad has to cook, or starve.
#15. Who is more stubborn? Me, and stubborn is truly an understatement.
#16. Who kissed who first? I'm going to plead the 5th.
#17. Who asked who out? Brad asked me out. I told him no a few times because he had dated my roommate... (it was against the house rules...) As you can tell, I eventually gave in.
#18. Who proposed? Brad did. He is amazing! Showed up in my old Firetruck with the lights and sirens blaring! Also had a police escort from my brother. :)
#19. Who is more sensitive? I'm going to protect the innocent on this answer...
#20. Who has more friends? I think we're about even. Although as we go around shopping or different places I always see more people that I know.
#21. Who has more siblings? Definitely Brad... He's got 7 sisters, and 1 brother. I only have 4 brothers and 1 sister.

SO, that's us in a nutshell. I don't know who to tag except maybe Robyn, and Sara, and Jenn D. I won't be TOTALLY offended if you don't do this tho. Have fun!

Life's Purpose...

Why is it that when I'm at work, Olivia WILL NOT go to bed easily for Brad? I feel so bad as I sit at work, wondering if she's behaving or not, and knowing that he is playing Dada and Mama for the night, (or day if it's a weekend..) Why is it that as soon as I get to work, I just want to be at home? Don't get me wrong. I love my job. It's very rewarding. When you have worked so hard, for so long, and did so much to get where you have dreamt about being, it's a great feeling. I started in the fire service in 2000. I started as a volunteer firefighter getting paid 4 times a year, and only at the wage of $4.25 per hour that I was on a call. Believe me... I wasn't doing it for the money! I tested with full time departments for four years before I got hired part time with Roy Fire, and then full time with South Davis Metro Fire in 2004. Sometimes you'd show up to a Firefighter test and there would be 3,000 people to test against you for two or three positions. Yes, I said 3,000! So, when you finally get past all the stress of testing, the written test and the physical test, oh the physical... you have such a feeling of accomplishment! While working, I often drive around in the rescue, to and from calls and look at those around me. I see construction workers on roofs, (summer and winter) and think, wow... I get paid to do my job? Look at how hard they work! Crazy! I must have the best job in the world! Then I realize, I DO have the best job in the world... but it's not my fire job that comes to mind. It's my 'job' of being a wife and a mom that fits that bill. I was reading in this month's Ensign yesterday. There's an article about Nurturing our Children. I was so touched by a story about a family going camping. It was such a simple story, but the lesson I learned is complex. The author states that she learned that, "I wasn't just rearing children; I was preparing a future generation of parents, a generation that would need all the positive experiences I could give them to cope with an increasingly challenging world. Was it possible that children who have a happy childhood will be better parents?" She then went on to say, "I couldn't live my children's lives for them, but I could give them a well of joyful memories from which they could draw throughout their lives." Isn't that our ultimate duty as parents? Our Heavenly Father has entrusted us with His children. I feel it is my duty to fill Olivia's life with a happy childhood, full of fond memories. I put so much effort into becoming a Firefighter. I got a personal trainer, I studied manuals, I took practice tests, and I was persistant. I didn't always pass every test, but it didn't stop me from trying again. Now I realize I need to do the same in my task of being a mother. I have a personal trainer, I just need to get on my knees more to ask His advice. I need to study my 'manual', aka... my scriptures, more often. I'm taking 'practice tests' each day with every challenge that comes my way. I know I'm not passing each one of them, but the encouragement I get from my loving husband, my daughter and friends keep me trying again and again. I have learned today that I'm not just "rearing a child," but I'm preparing a future mother to cope with an ever increasingly challenging world. And THAT my friends, IS the BEST job in the world!