November 14th-20th

14th: This morning we woke up early to head back to Nyssa.  It was snowing, but the roads were pretty dry and we had a great trip back.  We got to the stake center where they were having baby Lyla's blessing.  It was great to be there to support Chels & Chris and the blessing was sweet-as is the baby.  The boys both did so well in church especially for just being in the car for 2 hours.  Zac wanted us to go up together and bear our testimonies, but I was reluctant because I had been a pretty short mama with Grayson this morning.  Then of course I was humbled on the way home by reading in the family home evening resource manual the following:
Elder Jack H. Goaslind, Jr. related the following story about a mother whose daughter chose to go against Church standards: “A good friend shared this story about how she learned the deeper meaning of love. Their family has always been active in the Church, trying their best to live the commandments. They were shocked and disappointed, however, when their daughter became engaged to a nonmember. The next day the mother was telling a good friend about her feelings. She knew her daughter’s fiance was a fine young man, but she felt angry, hurt, betrayed, and numb and did not want to give her daughter a wedding or even see her. She said that the Lord must have guided her to talk to her friend because she received this reply:
“‘What kind of a mother are you that you only love her when she does what you want her to do? That is selfish, self-centered, qualified love. It’s easy to love our children when they are good; but when they make mistakes, they need our love even more. We should love and care for them no matter what they do. It doesn’t mean we condone or approve of the errors, but we help, not condemn; love, not hate; forgive, not judge. We build them up rather than tear them down; we lead them, not desert them. We love when they are the most unlovable, and if you can’t or won’t do that, you are a poor mother.’”
“With tears streaming down her face, the mother asked her friend how she could ever thank her. The friend answered, ‘Do it for someone else when the need arises. Someone did it for me, and I will be eternally grateful.’”
I told Zac, "I don't want to go up...I'm not worthy." (:  He told me that's when we need to bear testimony the most.  Heavenly Father thankfully doesn't ask us to be perfect right this minute-just to be working on it.  That is my saving grace most days.  Anyway, we both went up and it was nice & all the testimonies given were good reminders of how grateful we are for Heavenly Father and His Son.  Afterward we visited with a few friends and then headed to the Cleaver's for lunch.  It was nice to be with the family and celebrate Lyla and the Mendez family.  They are sweeties and she is a beautiful baby.  We all came home and the guys got a great nap while I read & relaxed.

15th: This morning I left early to get my bangs cut, eyebrows waxed, groceries bought, etc. while Zac watched the boys.  I hurried home to trade him and he left for work.  The day was full of TSFL which I love and then that evening we had FHE.  The topic was saying thank you and the lesson went well.  This is an area Grayson usually really excels at and we made brown sugar muffins to take to Troy to thank him for always taking Zac's Sunday school class on short notice if needed and Sara, who knitted the most darling beanies for my boys.  I also made her this poster board with an easel and loved it so much I almost kept it on my dining room table.  They are such a cute family.  We also dropped off a cold treat to Becca who had her wisdom teeth out today-poor girl!  I'm thankful to be a mom and to be married to such a great man and to have great friends & family around us.  Thankful for my blessings.

16th: Today we had the pleasure of having Treyce over for most of the day.  His parents went Christmas shopping and he is SO easy to have around.  He helps, cleans up his messes, uses great manners, and plays super well with both boys.  He's a cutie & we hoped seeing him go potty on the big potty would inspire Gray, but no such luck. (:  Oh well, I'm not too worried.  Anyway, we spent the day at home and I took advantage of Grayson being occupied by getting lots done.  When we took him home we ran a birthday gift up to Julie who was celebrating her big day.  Love that girl & so grateful she was born & is one of my besties.

17th: Grayson and I went visiting teaching with Sister Elva this morning.  That kid is quite the charmer with the three older women we visit.  He seriously just flirts, uses his manners, and gives them hugs & sometimes kisses! while we are there.  They adore him and I'm grateful he's getting exposure to people older than him and learning to be patient & serve others.  I love going with Elva too & she continues to teach me so much.  I hope I am going as strong as her when I'm close to 80!  This afternoon we went to Amber's to hang out and the boys had a great time playing with Ella while we visited and laughed.  Love that family & our friendship. Beckham's new favorite thing is to play with-and sometimes eat-Ritz crackers.  He totally gets excited when we pull them out and makes a HUGE mess with them every time.  He's cute though, so we let it go. (:  I love that in these pictures he's displaying the "many faces of Beckham."  Totally love this kid.

18th: Today was pretty laid back.  We headed over to Kelsey's after lunch/nap time so she could cut Grayson's hair.  He is the most stressed out kid when it comes to haircuts.  He hates them.  I kept telling him that before Taylor's wedding he had to get a haircut.  So for about a month anytime anyone would mention Taylor's wedding he'd start stressing and say in a whiny or crying voice, "I don't want to get a haircut!"  Seriously?  Anyway, I told him a few days in advance that we'd have Kelsey try cutting his hair rather than poor Rick the Barber.  So he seemed alright with it.  Then the day came and I told him we were going to Kelsey's.  He didn't seem to mind.  Then on the way he said, "I'm not getting my haircut, right?"  Uh yea, buddy.  He was pretty stressed and leaned forward with his eyes shut/mouth shut/death grip on my hands, but didn't cry.  He did so good compared to the usual though & I didn't have to hold him on my lap & get completely covered in hair!  Kelsey did a great job considering he was so worried & stiff.  I was just glad to see my boy after having such long shaggy hair...although I do hate that he looks so much more grown up every time we get brave enough to cut it.  He did such a good job that he got two hershey's kisses & a sucker!  And the best part of all was that he got to hang with one of his favorite people: Jaeger!  Jaeger & Beckham were totally engrossed in Baby Einstein while the haircutting was going on-it was pretty cute.  Got a few crazy pics of the three cuties in their diapers...sure love these boys!

19th: Today was a pretty special day.  We dropped the two littles at Grandma Wendy's so Zac and I could go to the temple.  Taylor was receiving her endowment and we were excited to be there with her.  It was a great session and she had a lot of support from family & friends which was so nice.  We loved experiencing that with her.  I loved too the drive over with Zac and getting to visit and laugh with each other.  I really really like him.  After the temple we headed to lunch with everyone.  We went to Applebee's and got to know some of Talon's family a little better which was fun.  He is such a perfect fit for Taylor and treats her so well.  We love him a lot already.  Z and I left and headed to all the stores to drop off payroll and check up on them and I got a nap in the car in between stops.  Headed back to Cleaver's to pick up the boys & found Beckham playing happily on the floor and Grayson was no where to be seen.  Grandma said he had said he wanted to hide from us, so he built a fort of big pillows from her couch and hid under them.  About ten minutes later she looked more closely and he was totally sleeping!  So that's where we found him-snuggled with his blanket & lots of pillows-"hiding" from us.  We hung out there for a while before heading home to put two tired boys to bed.  It was a great day of remembering how grateful we are to be sealed in the temple & to have two great families.  And PS: notice how I have pictures of our whole family EXCEPT Taylor and Talon?  Yeah.  She deleted it off my camera.  Thanks Taylor. (:

20th: Today Super Daddy came to the rescue again & kept both boys so I could go to Meridian for a TSFL training & run to Costco/Target, etc.  He and the boys went to his folks so he could work with them on some stuff & Morgan was home from college & excited to see the boys, so she actually ended up watching them for a couple hours.  I'm thankful they were all so willing to help because the training was fantastic.  Totally learned & heard some things that seemed to pertain specifically to me & I'm still totally pondering on the concepts I learned.  I am totally loving this journey to optimal health & especially love the coaching equation because my clients inspire me so much.  I ran my errands & felt so crazy doing it without two kids & car seats and then headed home.  We got all ready and headed to Ontario as a family to celebrate Mickey & Tracy's (Amber's parents) 30 year anniversary.  Amber & Todd had put together an amazing party for them and it was totally flawless & beautiful.  I made them a scrapbook for the occasion and love how it turned out.  Hopefully they liked it too.  At least they know it was made with love-they were like a second set of parents to me growing up and now all three of my boys have a great relationship with them too which totally makes my heart happy.  It was a fun night.  Ella actually kept us company most the night & that made it even more enjoyable.  She calls me mommy every time I'm around-even with Amber right by me-and I completely love it.  She also really makes Zac crave a baby girl.  We might just have to borrow her more often. (:  It was a great night and we were all ready for bed by the time we got home!