Don't Pray for Patience

Sometimes I find myself praying for virtues that I'd like to posses subsequently thinking that magically I'll posses these things simply because I prayed for them.  Hasn't God said that the things that matter to us matter to him?  A few months back I began to pray for patience.  Simple enough, eh?  I'd like to be able to be less stressed out in my life and so I think patience would be a great thing to have.  I dream of being able to roll with the punches and not let the little things bother me.  Why I thought that I would magically become a patient person is beyond me.

Now I am reminded that Heavenly Father teaches us through experience.  I'm learning that patience doesn't just come to you through inspiration, it's something that you acquire through trying experiences.  This inspiration popped into my head as I was rocking my sweet girl before her nap.  I was thinking to myself, "Wow, my little girl is so sweet right now.  It would be so nice if she were willing to snuggle like this more. She's been such a stinker lately. I wonder what I'm supposed to learn from this."  I don't know if it's teething or a new found drive to be independent but Isabel has been quite a pill lately.  She's started to throw fits and it seems that she just isn't a happy girl.  Don't get me wrong, we still have fun and I wouldn't trade her for the world but the first year of her life she was a dream baby.  Isabel did not whine or cry about anything, such a trooper.  Then, wham everything matters to this little lady.  I've found myself thinking, "Self, she's just a little baby she's not trying to make you crazy.  Just roll with the punches and instead of flipping out just distract her away from her fit".  I am exhausted lately, it takes all my energy to keep up with my sweet, demanding girl.  But you know what?  I'm learning to be patient.  I'm learning what it takes to be the Momma to someone who is probably as difficult to deal with as I am. :)  I'm gaining exactly what I asked my Heavenly Father for.

All I can say is, Amazing.  The power of prayer is incredible and I can testify that Heavenly Father definitely answers prayers.  Maybe not in a way that is immediately apparent to you and perhaps not in the way you'd like them to be answered.  But, none the less He answers them.  So, be warned, don't pray for things you don't REALLY want because it can be difficult when you get them. :)

I guess it's good that she's so darn cute because even when she's screaming at me for taking the toothbrush away, or the fork, or any other random object she's zeroed on on I still just want to kiss her sweet little face.  Here is a picture of her first painting.

Our Latest Project

Isabel loves to play in the dirt.

 I feel a little white trash letting her play in my empty flower beds/random dirt piles in my back yard. So Dave and I have been talking about possibly putting in a sandbox.  One lesson I have yet to learn is that I should never mention wanting to do something to Dave unless I REALLY want to do it.  Why, you ask?  Because Dave is a do-er. :)  Things I have mentioned in the past.  "We should landscape the back yard"...the next week we started, "We should finish the basement", basement...done, "We should plant a garden"...."We should build a sandbox"...in progress.  I guess what I really should say is, "We should go get massages while having other wonderful spa treatments done, eh, ehhhh?"

Soooo, I think you know how this story goes.  Today I found myself clearing rock to put in three more garden beds and a sandbox.  Here's our spot. I know, it doesn't look like a lot of rock to move but I've worked out exactly 4 times since I had Isabel, 14 months ago.  That was a lot of rock to move for me!

 Here is the frame for our new sandbox, Dave whipped it together in no time.

Isabel of course helped Daddy build.  She was very helpful picking up the electric drill and squealing whenever she managed to push the button hard enough to turn it on.  She also helped pound things together with the hammer.  :)  She just loves to imitate her Dad and Dave is so loving and patient with her they're quite the team.

I think this new sandbox will be really fun for Isabel and for all her friends to come over and play. <3

   

Family Fun

This past week my parents "moved" into their second home in Windsor, just ten minutes away!  Which basically consisted of buying a new mattress set and borrowing a whole bunch of ugly looking crap from us kids. :) The same weekend my sister, Liz, and her family were moving to Mississippi and were able to stay for Easter.  It was a blast!  Isabel even skipped both her naps on Saturday (agggghhhhh).  It was a little rough to readjust after all the crazy cousin fun but it was oh so worth it!  Family is crazy, and irritating, and stressful but most of all wonderful.  No one knows you like your family and it's so fun to just be able to me myself and not worry that someone caught a glimpse of my gut, or thought my butt looked big, or thought maybe my comments were annoying.  (I'm sure someone at some point thought all these things, but I don't care because family is required to love me anyway)

I loved getting to watch Isabel play with her cousins and run around screaming with little Adam.  I loved watching her run up to the other kids to hug and kiss them; it was adorable.  It was so fun to have my parents here too.  Something to look forward to when the retire in a year or so.  I'm excited to get to go shopping with my Momma and hang out when I'm bored.  I'm excited that she'll be so darn close!  So many good things to look forward to.  And, someday when I'm a little more "seasoned" I'll hopefully have a big house of my own where my zillion kids and grandkids can all come play.  That's my version of heaven right there. 

Unfortunately I am inept and remembering to snap pictures so I don't have any of my own to share of this weekend.  But I thought I'd share this picture instead.  Isabel woke up from her nap SUPER sweaty and her hair was crazy!  Also, she loves to make giant messes when she eats.