New callings, new challenges, new rewards

Life has been pretty busy (hence the lack of posts). I got called to nursery the first part of December and I was really struggling with it. I won't lie, I have NEVER felt this way about a calling. I wasn't excited, wasn't happy about it and just felt like I wasn't supposed to be there. I know that sounds slightly silly and that it could possibly come across as not being willing to serve, but I was really concerned that I was feeling this way. So after lots of prayer, fasting and visiting with my bishop, I finally decided that I was going to make the best of it! Afterall, the Lord knows more than me and I was trying hard to put my faith and trust in Him. I was officially in nursery for 2 weeks (and finally getting excited about it and the changes that I wanted to make) when the bishopric visited my house once more. Deric and I were wondering "what in the world?" and I just kept thinking "am I really doing THAT bad of job?" anyway it was quite comical watching them try to explain what was about to happen. ha ha Long story short, I was then called to be the 1st counselor in the Young Women's Presidency. I WAS STOKED! I was so excited!! And then it hit me the following 2 weeks while it was kept "secret" as I was praying, fasting and counseling with the President as to whom we should call to assist us. This was going to be ALOT of work, ALOT of time, ALOT of effort and ALOT of mistakes, growth and learning. I felt completely inadequate to fulfill such a position. We got set apart the Sunday before Christmas and it has been a whirlwind of a month! I have already learned SO much! I'm so excited and honored to be in this calling. The girls are AMAZING! The other leaders are such special women and I truly feel like I am the one that's going to learn and grow the most. A few things I have already learned from YW:

-doesn't matter WHAT the activity is, as long as you make it personal, the girls love it
-a simple text to ask how someone is doing makes a world of difference
-the "Come Follow Me" program was designed for ME as a teacher as well as the youth. HOLY GROWTH! :) It requires a lot more studying, prayer and personal time than I have ever taken on a lesson.
-What the youth of today have to deal with sucks
-I'm not as young as I think I am
-I do have experiences that the girls can relate to
-I have never felt the spirit so strong in any meeting before
-It's ok to mess up (I have really botched some things lately) the girls are forgiving
-There's a lot of planning involved
-There are a lot of programs in YW. Girls camp, new beginnings, YW in excellence, etc
-I have a VERY supportive husband who has not once complained about my time away from home
-I truly feel that I am in this calling to help me grow and become closer to my Heavenly Father. I need to strengthen my roots as a daughter of God
-Life throws us curves, challenges and differences, how we chose to deal with them and the attitude we have truly affects those around us.
-I already love the girls in my ward like my own, even though I have known them a short time
-I am constantly praying for at least one of them and am ALWAYS thinking about them.
-I now feel like a mother of 23 :)
-And most importantly: I know my Heavenly Father hears me and answers my prayers. He knows my thoughts and feelings and LISTENS to me. He also ANSWERS me and I'm so grateful for his trust, love and encouragement that he gives to me.

Here's to lots of fun and growth ahead!

Bryson's 3

Oh my how time flies! Bryson turned 3 on December 13th! He is a fireball! ha ha I laugh everytime I think of him and our "experiences" we have. He is quite the antagonizer and loves to be the life of the party for sure! He loves "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" and his favorite movie is "Brother Bear". Bryson is always active-always. You can not keep him down for long (unless he is tired). He loves all things sugar and sweet and doesn't like to eat anything unless it's his idea. He loves to play rough and follow Kyler around. Im excited to see how this next year plays out for him as well. With Kyler going to Kindergarten and being gone during the day, Bryson will get to be the "big brother" at home and I'm excited to see how he fulfills that role. Bryson got a dinosaur  cake this year and absolutely loved it. He is our sneaky child that we often find at the top of the pantry eating cookies at 1 in the morning or the one that filled the tub with bubbles and let it overflow. He is the brother that colors his brother with marker and blames it on someone else. He loves to go 4 wheeling and keeps his very limited hugs for mom. He has a sweet side to him too though it takes a bit for him to warm up to admit it. He is smaller for his age and we're hoping he grows soon. This past year, he learned to go potty in the toilet, how to dress himself and how to recognize some of the letters in his name. He is a true boy that loves to get messy and dirty! Brys-we love you sweetheart!

My dear, sweet Bryson,
You are my little firecracker.  You are always keeping me on my toes and the one that makes me laugh the most. You know how to test my patience but calm it at the same time. You are a sweet boy that loves to be busy! You are learning how to be yourself and create your own identity and I love it! Bryson, you are the middle child and I think that sometimes shows :) You are a good brother and you like to help your dad. You love when you get special one on one time with me or your father. You love ice cream and cake and we can never keep you away from it. Bryson, you are learning so much right now! Your vocabulary is getting more broad and you are learning how to do so many things on your own. You love to sing songs and are quite the dancer when you want to be. If it was up to you, we would play all day, every day and never have to clean up after ourselves! You love the color orange and anything "pirate". Bryson, one day you are going to be a heart throb. We love you so very much-even though you keep me on my toes more than I sometimes want to be! You are a special boy and we are so grateful for you!

Love, Mom

5?!

I can't believe I completely forgot to update about my boys! Kyler turned 5 back in November and it's weird for me to think I have a 5 year old! He will be going to kindergarten next year and can hardly wait. He is such a helper to me and I honestly don't know where I would be without him. He is such a sweet boy with a very tender heart. I only hope that I can somehow manage to survive the heartaches I know he is going to experience with life. He is not one to move forwards quickly after a "heartache". He is always looking for ways to help and serve others and is such a great example to me of living the most Christlike lifestyle. Currently he always complains about going to church every Sunday but I can see that changing very quickly with his new teachers (the Lord truly knows where people need to be). At least from this momma's perspective- I'm so grateful for his teachers! Kyler is often too hard on himself and wants to be a perfectionist (like his momma that way). He loves to play with others and is always looking for ways to include other people. His favorite card game is "Go Fish" and he often beats me when we play. He loves angry birds right now and anything superheroes. His favorite colors are green and blue and he wants to be a policeofficer, firefighter and scientist when he grows up (high aspirations)! This year he got to celebrate his birthday at his grandma and grandpa Nixon's house and he LOVED it! He was surrounded by his cousins and lots of family and he felt so special. I made him a powerranger cake which he loved and he was just so excited to have his special day! Kyler-we love you!

Dear Kyler,
What a fun time of your life you are having! You are now 5 and have so much in store for you this upcoming year! You love preschool and love learning and you can hardly wait to start "real school" in the fall. You are definitely my most tender hearted boy. You are always striving to serve others in the way your Heavenly Father would want you to. You try very hard to choose the right each and every day and you often look for ways to help me around the house. Your brothers look up to you so much and you are a great example to them! You are one of the few people that Ryker with play with for hours! You are such a good teacher and are always looking for new things to teach your brothers. You love to do science experiments and see what happens when you do something (action-reaction). You haven't quite figured out how special you are yet, but you will. Please remember, my son, that I love you. That your Heavenly Father loves you and that he is so pleased with you. You do not need to be perfect. It is okay to make mistakes and a lot of things you are trying right now take a lot of practice. Do your best always and you will find success. Kyler, I love you more than words can say. You are my first born, we share a lot together. A lot of first experiences are shared by you and I. I can't wait to see how you grow and develop over the next year. I love you handsome!

Love, Mom

Has it been a year already!?

I cannot believe that our little man has now turned one! Ryker had his birthday on the 21st and he was just as happy as can be! I had my friend Jenn take a few pictures of him since we haven't had any since his newborns.

At one he:
-stands by himself and takes a few independent steps
-weight and height? (last time at 9 months he was 26 lbs and 30")
-LOVES to yell "MOM!" and say "da da"
-has a few favorite people that he is always smiling and giggling at including Kyler (his absolute favorite) Christina, Jordan and Lepeka
-wears a size 4 or 5 diaper
-wears 18-24 month clothes
-has NO teeth
-LOVES balloons and oreos
-follows his brothers around non stop. He loves them so much!
-loves to sit in Kyler's spiderman chair

My dear sweet baby boy,

I love you so very much! You are such a joy to our family and we have no doubt you were meant to come to us. You fit in so perfectly. You have me wrapped around your little finger though, that's for sure. All you have to do is look at me with those big brown eyes and my heart melts completely! You love your brothers and enjoy wrestling with them and dad. You are getting quite tough having two older brothers who love you too much sometimes. You aren't quite walking on your own yet and I'm ok with that. You have such a sweet, inquisitive look when you are really trying to figure things out. I can almost see the gears turning in your head! You are definitely a chunk! You don't look it but you are solid! Maybe a football player some day? You love to give me loves and wet, slobbery kisses and I will never turn them down! You have decided that you're too big for formula and rarely drink from a bottle anymore-I think it has something to do with the fact that you are always chasing your brothers around and wanting to be just like them! Kyler loves to teach you new things-he is working so hard on getting you to walk! Bryson doesn't always love to have you around "playing" with him, but he loves you more than he shows! :) Your dad and I are so grateful to have your spirit in our home and can't wait for what the future holds for you! My baby, you are growing up too fast! I love you so very much! Here's to another great year!

 

Love, Mom