"God has known you individually...for a long, long time (see D&C 93:23). He has loved you for a long, long time. He not only knows the names of all the stars (see Psalm 147:4; Isaiah 40:26); He knows your names and all of your heartaches and your joys!"

Neal A. Maxwell, "Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been," Ensign, May 2004, 46.


I came across this quote today and it gave me perfect happiness. It's comforting to know He understands me--probably better than I know myself--and is right there, walking beside me on the path of my life.

Wordless Wednesday

SPT: Extra! Extra!

Lelly's SPT challenge this week "...is to photograph something that is extra special about you. it might be a physical feature, a talent, or an unknown secret. this spt is all about you!"

Alrighty. This was difficult for me. To be completely honest, I got a little depressed trying to think of something special because I couldn't think of anything; I usually only pick out negative things about myself. That's pathetic! Seriously, though. I've thought & thought since Friday and....nothin'. (insert mental image of my grumpy face) Although, Max made my day when he heard me grumbling aloud about my lack of special traits and offered up, "You're the best Mom!" as a trait. I love that kid.

Phew. Just getting that out of my system and writing it down all officially made me realize I really should work on finding things to appreciate and love about myself. So here's what I finally came up with:

* I talk REALLY fast
* I'm open-minded & accepting

* I love people...being with others, listening to others, talking with others, sitting around a campfire and shootin' the breeze with others...you get the picture

* I try really hard to be organized...but my house usually looks like this:
* I love to cook and experiment with recipes, and I LOVE to feed people
My natural disposition happy and upbeat and I love to laugh
Nana says I'm like a ray of sunshine (the best compliment anyone has ever given me & I've treasured it for the 11 years since she first said it).

Sheesh! That was not easy. Lelly, next week can you give us a no-brainer, like...."what's your favorite toenail polish?"

Sheepish

Here is the breakdown of Thursday:
10-noon: Volunteering for Take Home Reading at school
noon-1:30: At hospital with Mike and his 2 pints of lung-sludge
1:30-2:30: Picking up food at Cafe Rio for Bubble Boy. Comfort Food makes it all better, right?...
2:30-3:15: Couch-time, talking with Mike
3:15-6:00: Picked up Max from school, took him to get his hair cut, grocery shopped, stopped at Wal-mart (Max talked me into it, to look for some #$^%&* game he's been saving for), stopped at Sonic for Mike's fav limeade, came home exhausted. I was in-&-out of the car all day, going here, going there, heaving my not-so-nubile self to and fro without cease. I'm finding that going non-stop is tiring when pregnant. Go figure.

So. I spent the morning (10am-noon) exchanging the books for the Take Home Reading program at the kids' school, at the end of which I got a call from Mike at the hospital, having been there from 8:30 'til noon, telling me the doctor was about the drain his lung. (Here are a few verbal memory-triggers: pneumonia, fluid-filled lung, Bubble Boy...)

Mike: "They're going to drain my lung now if you want to come."
Crystal: "Ok. It'll take me about 15 minutes to get there; do you want me to come?"
Mike: "If you want. They're ready to do it now."
Crystal: "Just start and I'll finish the books and be there in about 45 minutes."

About 5 minutes after hanging up the phone, I stopped in my tracks and thought, "WHAT? I'm so lame! He probably wants me to be there!" I called to find out where to locate him, but no answer; obviously, they'd already begun. I spent the next half hour sick to my stomach and feeling like a big jerk. When Mike called, I'd been so distracted with the #$^%& books and leaving them mid-process. And--in my puny defense--he was being a typical man-talker. If that had been ME about to undergo some surgical process, I would've said, "Please would you come be with me? I'm kinda freaked out."

So he calls me back after they're all finished and tells me where to meet him and that the Dr. still needs him there, etc. Now that I actually know WHERE to find him, I rush off to the hospital and when I get there he looks terrible. And tells me it was really creepy and he passed out. (and they sucked 2 pints of what looked like swamp water out of his body. blech)

Yes. I win the Wife Shmuck of the Year Award.

Play by Play

Last Saturday, I found Isabelle snapping pictures from the upstairs window. This girl is GOOD! She captured a little story here, moment by moment:

This is Max, creating two little mini snowmen.

He stands back to critique his work:

He makes an adjustment:

He leaves. What cute snowmen!

Too tempting to resist. Typical boy.

Heyyyy! That looks fun:

Watch this. Isabelle got it in constant motion. Here she comes.....

.....closer......

.....and smash!

And again! The poor disemboweled snowman must've made a satisfying smoosh.

She's a bloodthirsty little girl. In pink.

My work is done here.

I snapped this one, a while later. But Isabelle's series of photos just cracked me up! I wonder what was going through her mind, what she saw that piqued her curiosity and made her stay at the window and document the quirky doings below. She has a funny little sense of humor emerging.

My Word for the Year: Moments

Here is the explanation of "word of the year," as told by
mastermind Ali Edwards on her website:

"Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2007?

It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word.

One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities."

My word for the year is "MOMENTS," the idea for which originated from Rob Thomas' song "Little Wonders." Here is the chorus:

"Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain."

When trying to come up with my word for the year, I had been thinking of how a person's memory of their life is not comprised of one long, continuous timeline. We don't remember our lives like a movie, non-stop. We remember our lives in short bursts..."pieces" of our lives. And as a mother, I want my kids' short memory bursts--their MOMENTS--to be happy and wonderful. I want to take advantage of the opportunities that different MOMENTS present me. I want to teach rather than yell (haha--good luck to me!), I want to laugh and I want to be in the MOMENT with my kids.
* All photos taken by my children, during private moments of mayhem, with Isabelle's camera. I found later them on iphoto.

52 Blessings, Week 7: My Father & Mother in-law
Your love is immeasurable, your selflessness astounds me, your hugs are precious to me, and Tom--I can't imagine a life without your laugh in it.