Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy

Remember those old Hefty commercials, where they showed someone trying to lift a garbage bag only to have it tear apart and spill its contents all over the place? Then comes the voiceover: "Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy!" And the response: "Hefty, Hefty, Hefty!" At least, that's how I remember it.

So why do I bring this up? I think "wimpy, wimpy, wimpy" should be my motto from now on. Why, do you ask? Simply this: my 15-month-old son beats me up. And he's done it several times. Of course, it's never intentional--but there have been at least five times, all within the last month or two, when he's bonked me on the head (usually in the nose) and pretty much incapacitated me. And he suffers no injuries himself.

For instance, last night: he conked me on the left cheekbone with his forehead, leaving me in tears, and then followed it up five minutes later with another head to my lower lip, giving me a slight fat lip. Meanwhile, he's just as happy-go-lucky as ever. I'm sitting there crying, Daddy is trying to get Joshua to understand that he hurt Mommy, and Joshua is just smiling and laughing. What is wrong with this picture? =\

I just hope he learns soon that he has an incredibly hard head and that, while it doesn't seem to phase him when he whacks it against his mommy, the same cannot be said for this wimp of a mother. Or maybe I just need to get a thicker skull myself.

Springtime at the park!

I took the day off from work today--partly because I still had extra hours left over from the week of the ACERC Conference, and partly because I just needed a break. So, we had a nice little day together as a family. The weather has been really nice lately, too, which means: we went to the park! We'd only been there once before with Joshua, and that was last September--you can read about that adventure here. Obviously, Joshua has grown some since then. For some reason, Joshua was quite apprehensive firabout walking around on the grass and the wood chips, and he started out not liking the swings and whatnot...but he eventually warmed up to it all. Enjoy the pictures!
Aaaaand a video for your viewing pleasure!

Calumny may defame

Many of you know about the whole "Big Love" controversy and the airing of a reenactment of the sacred temple ceremony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It really is quite sad that HBO chose to do this, and many are upset that the sacredness of the temple has been shown to even more people who have not been prepared to receive it. I will admit, I have felt very unsettled about the whole issue. However, this morning, I was reminded of something:

"The Standard of Truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent until it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done." ~Joseph Smith

I felt the Spirit so much as I read those words. How true they are! I looked up calumny, since it's a word we don't use anymore. It means " a misrepresentation intended to harm another's reputation." And defame: " to harm the reputation of by libel or slander." That sounds a lot like what's been happening here. But you know what? It doesn't matter! As the Prophet Joseph said, "No unhallowed had can stop the work from progressing...[T]he truth of God will go forth." That, to me, is an amazing promise. Don't worry about what the world may do--let them make a mockery of things that are sacred to us, let them combine against us and persecute us for standing up for true marriage, let them scream and rage that we aren't true Christians. It doesn't matter. They're no match for the God that leads and directs this work. Remember, He is on our side--or rather, we are on His side. And we all know which side will win in the end.

What a great smile!

Joshua's really started smiling when we take his picture now, which is fun for us. And it's such a fun smile! How can you not love this kid? =D
Please forgive the not-so-attractive looks of his parents. Neither of us had really planned on getting our picture taken that day, which is why my hair is stringy and Cody is scruffy. Your attention should be focused on Joshua, anyway. =P

Pictures...it's been awhile!

I haven't posted pictures of Joshua in over a month! That is unacceptable, and I apologize to everyone. I know you're all dying to see him (\sarcasm). Just humor me, okay? If you can believe it, he's almost 15 months old now and walking all the time, getting into everything, talking a little (still mainly babbling, though), and starting to throw tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants. Lovely. He knows how to dance and LOVES music--I need to post a video of that. The "Hot Dog" song from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is probably his favorite. He also knows how to give a hug. All you have to do is say, "Joshua, give me a hug," and he'll come up to you and lay his head on your shoulder. It's so cute. Anyway, here are some pictures!

First up...we have no idea how this picture got on our camera. Apparently Joshua took it of himself. Silly kid.Cody and Joshua came to visit me as part of the student poster session of the ACERC Conference, which was really nice considering I left before Joshua woke up and didn't get home until after he was in bed. We had fun just sitting around and trying to get Joshua to drink lemonade from a cup--he did pretty well!You can see the little marks from the cup on his face--kinda like a Joker smile, huh? He wasn't the greatest at keeping it from spilling all over him, though, as you can see below...This the wife of one of the students presenting at the poster session. Joshua seemed to like her a lot. We decided it must have been her red hair. He doesn't see that very often. And she was very nice to put up with him constantly going over to her and reaching up for her. That kid knows no boundaries.***WARNING*** Child nudity is displayed below! Joshua usually wears a onesie around the house, but one day he spilled whatever it was he was eating all over himself, and since he was only about 10-15 minutes away from bedtime, we just took off his onesie and left him in a diaper. Turns out he was absolutely fascinated with being able to pull his diaper down. He didn't get it all the way off, but he certainly tried... I put his laundry hamper upside down on top of him, and he absolutely loved it...for about 30 seconds. Then he wanted his freedom back.I just like this last picture of him...I can't remember when it was taken or the circumstances, but it makes me laugh.Hope you enjoyed seeing a little update of our son!

I love to see the temple...

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we really are so blessed to live where we live. I mean, there are at least five temples within an hour driving distance from our house (Provo, Timpanogos, Jordan River, Salt Lake, and Bountiful), and there are soon to be two more in the same vicinity (Draper and Oquirrh Mountain). What a privilege it is to be surrounded by so many temples and to be able to go and feel the spirit of heaven.

That privilege was reinforced for me today. We had the opportunity to go to the Draper Temple Open House this afternoon. Seeing as how it's not dedicated yet, we were able to bring Joshua with us--the first time he's been inside a temple (technically he was there a few times while inside me, but you know what I mean). It was a very special experience. It's a beautiful temple, as they all are, but it really just helped bring home the meaning of temples. It was so powerful to look around at all the beauty that was there and to share it with my family. As we entered the sealing rooms, I was reminded of my own sealing to my husband, Cody, and I marvelled at how we have been given the ability to be together forever--and that because we were married in the right place, our son can be with us forever, too. Wow.

We've been given the option of viewing a broadcast of the temple dedication, which will take place on March 22nd. I don't think Joshua's allowed to go, and I doubt we'll be able to find a sitter for him. I told Cody that he should go alone, seeing as how he's never participated in a temple dedication before. It would be nice if we could both go, but I'm okay staying home if it means Cody can experience it. It really is a blessing to live in this day and age, a time when temples dot the earth (the Draper Temple will be the 129th operating temple in the world) and the work of the Lord can go forth. I've made a renewed commitment to go more often. I want to feel that Spirit again. And I encourage all of you who can to do the same.