"We Have Derailed!"

My first intention with starting a blog was to keep a journal... to me that means writing down all of the things that I want to remember when I grow old. When I was uploading all of the pictures from my camera onto my computer and I came across this shot, it reminded me of one of my better moments as a mom and this is one of those times I never want to forget.

So, while you were all huggin' and kissin' and getting special gifts on Valentine's Day, here's what we were doing... We received a large package by Fedex late in the afternoon on Valentine's Day. We opened the box and it was a suprise gift for Spencer from a dear friend of the family. We had to dig through about 8 inches of styrofoam peanuts to even get to the present. So, after the excitement wore off of getting a new canvas toybox (with Spencers name embroidered on it) the kids went about their business and Todd and I started doing a little bit of work on the computer. Before we knew it, the kids were back in the office with us and Bella started playing with the styro peanuts. Eathan began to put Bella in the box and try to bury her with the peanuts. My initial instinct was to tell them to stop and get out of the room so we could get back to work. I didn't want to have to clean up a big mess. But, I refrained from scolding them and let them play. Bella proceded to break the box apart and before we knew it,... it was raining styrofoam peanuts!!! The kids played and burried themselves and threw the peanuts around and had the most fun ever!!! As you can see by the picture,... our office was covered with peanuts!!! They were everywhere!!! Todd stood up and wittingly said "we have derailed"! That made me laugh out loud. And, the trouble of cleaning up the mess was worth it for me to see the joy on my kids faces as they played their hearts out.

I guess the moral of the story is... sometimes I have to take off my "Mom hat" and put on my "Kid Hat" and let the fun candid, moments bring a little bit of extra happiness into our home! (Especially when it really isn't hurting anybody or anything)So, Happy Valentine's Day to us this year!

P.S. - We all hugged and kissed too! ;)

All Dressed Up With Nowhere To Go!

Everyone keeps telling me to put more pictures of Spencer on here, so... here is a fun one! The angle is a little weird,... sorry. This is Spencer all dressed up to go to church! He was smiling at me so I thought I'd grab a shot. He has only worn pajamas or little one piece outfits every day since he was born. This was the first time (at two and a half months old) that we put real clothes on him! He looks like a little man... all dressed up!

The Men In My Life

Ok, I know this picture looks totally posed, but I promise it wasn't. A couple weeks ago, we had an amazing weekend! We had a lot of spiritual things happen in our family (more to come on that later). At the end of the day (after my Sunday nap of course) the whole family was hanging out in our room. Spencer starting fussing and so Eathan laid down by him. Then, Todd came in and laid down by both of them. I looked over and got teary eyed because it was such an adorable moment. I knew I better grab this shot or I would be forever regretful. Anyway, I just want to take a moment to make a tribute to the men in my life... Todd (besides being brutally handsome :) is truly one of the most amazing people I have ever met in my whole life. I love him more than words can say. After years of thinking I knew what life was about, I met Todd and quickly learned so much more. From the day I met him, I started to figure out what I really wanted in a husband... because he was it!!! He is so down to earth and so real. He is so strong and determined that he makes me look like a lazy bum! He is such a wonderful father also! I am so lucky to have him as my counterpart as we try to raise our four children. The second of whom is Eathan.... can anyone say CRAZY!!! He is crazy and I am crazy about him!! He is as strong-willed as they come. I truly believe that he has taught me more than any of my other children have to-date. He is ever-so friendly and kind. He is helpful and thoughtful and quite the little social butterfly. (Lock up your daughters folks!) With his killer smile and those bright blue eyes, I happen to think he's pretty cute too! Speaking of cute, and last but not least, is Spencer. At two months old, he has already stolen my heart. The bond between mother and child doesn't get any less powerful as the years go by. He has made our home a happier place to be by bringing us a little closer to our Heavenly Father. Even though I can't tell what is personality will be yet, let me just say he is very calm and a very good baby... he even sleeps through the night!!! And he handles the madness around here very well. And, boy is he cute too... I think we finally got the brown hair/blue eyes combo... yea!!!

Ok, I'll stop now... I hope no one minds my bragging. Like I said in my very first post... I am so very thankful for my wonderful family. I am really overwhelmed by how blessed I am to have them...and these boys are only part of it... I'll have to take some time to write more about my girls later!

Pay Attention!!

I don't have a picture to go with this post... the only thing I could put with it would be a picture of me crying because that is what I was doing when I heard this....
Yesterday in sacrament meeting, a darling young couple spoke to our ward. They were very good speakers and both talks really held my attention. My children seemed to behave remarkably well... (maybe because I really needed to hear what was being said). Anyway, the thing that really, really affected me was something that the husband, Bro. Weinberg, said. He was talking about trials and he said (I am paraphrasing) "We should all hope that we can get through our trials and learn the things the Lord wants us to learn". It hit me like a ton of bricks... he didn't say we should get through our trials and have want we want, or we should get through our trials and never have to go through them again. But what he did say will forever stick with me... so I just wanted to share. So, from now on, I hope I can "pay attention" and learn what the Lord wants me to instead of being selfish and asking him to relieve me from having to deal with whatever trial he has blessed me with!!

Blog it up!!

Well, as you all know, I LOVE to talk! So, after being inspired by many of my friends who are bloggers, I decided to create my own blog. This way, I can talk to all of the people I love all at the same time! And, I guess if no one reads this,... I am just talking to myself! :) But that's ok, right?!

On that note, I have really had a strong feeling lately that I need to start keeping a journal. In fact it was one of the goals that I set for myself after attending Women's Conference last year. My mind goes back to the many Young Womens' lessons of my youth where they stressed the importance of journal keeping. And I also recall the days when I wrote in my journal every day! It's true,... I have notebooks and journals filled with my childish antics and teenage drama. Even though I don't necessarily need to pass that all on to my posterity, I do need to pass on the things that are happening in my life now. My feelings, my adventures as a mother and wife, and life's lessons that I learn daily. So, hopefully this is a good place to start keeping a record of the things that go on in our family. Maybe one day, someone will be glad to know our history. And as for the last ten years, I am going to have to figure out a way to catch up on that!

So, I also wanted to explain why I chose the name I did for my blogspot... "the amazing six". I actually thought about it for a while and came up with this name for a few reasons... First, and most obvious, there are six people in our family. I used the adjective "amazing" because I really do think that my family is "amazing" I have a wonderful husband and four incredible children (pictured above... thanks Aften!) that bless my life every day. I will write about each of them individually soon. I do not think that I am "amazing" but hopefully one day I will be after sharing my life with all of the "amazing" people around me. And, one more reason for the word "amazing" is that it describes all of the blessings I have been given... especially my family. I truly do see the Lord's tender mercies in my life every day. I hope to write about a lot of them here. Another reason for the name is that we love superheroes in our family. Superman, Spiderman, the Fantasic Four, you name it! We love them all because the good guy always wins no matter what the opposition. So, I patterned the name of my blog after The Fantastic Four... (sorry if it is corny). Anyway, I hope that sheds some light...

Well, if I don't stop now, this post is going to last forever. More to come soon!