Housemates!

We have a few new housemates and we couldn't be more excited to have them here! Tobin is Gavin's brother, then there's Whitney, his wife, and their two adorable girls Maylee and Hanna Banana. Whitney is actually also my cousin, which is how Gavin and I met. I told Whitney that she must be one of my favorite people in the whole world because she keeps getting promoted in my life: from cousin, to sister-in-law, to housemate! What's next?! Oooh, business partner? The wheels are turning...

Tobin recently got a job at a high school in Spring, which is just a smidge east of us. So they are hanging out with us until they find where they want to settle down. It's going to be party every day, but instead of a live band we will have screaming little girls, which, depending on the band can be kind of the same thing. Also, they have a tv. That's right folks, Gavin and I finally have a tv in our house. (sidenote: Gavin and I aren't anti-tv hippies, which people always assume when they come into our house and don't see a tv. We just watch it on the computer. Also, Gavin thinks the longer he waits for a tv the bigger it will be. This is false.)

So welcome Tobin, Whitney, and crew. We are so glad you are here!!! Texas is the place to be people, EVERYONE MIGRATE TO TEXAS!

Emery's Hair

Contrary to what you might be led to believe from pictures I post on here, I DO get Emery dressed every day, and I DO fix her hair every day. Sure, maybe some days those things don't happen until 10:00 am, but they do happen. They also never seem to last very long, hence why at the end of the day when Gavin is home and I decide to take pictures of Emery her hair is a mess and she is naked. That's just the way life goes around here. 

But I digress. I started this post to share how much I love fixing Emery's hair. It is getting SO long and she is so patient while I tug and pull and yank on it. It's one of my favorite tasks each day! Which is kind of funny because it is so futile. Emery is a hair twirler so when I get her up from her nap her hair is usually DESTROYED. No matter how tight I tie those elastics, no matter how much gel I slather in there, it's always a mess at 4 pm when she wakes up. But it's part of our morning routine, and we love it, and I love the results even if they do only last a few hours. So we keep at it. 

I took a few pictures the other day after a particularly "fancy" (aka it took me more than 5 minutes) hair-do. Emery doesn't smile for pictures but this first one is pretty close to a smile so feel very lucky that I am sharing  this with you. Doesn't she have the cutest little red lips?

 Every single one of those hair elastics was ripped out after nap time. It was still worth it though because she is adorable. 

Welcome to Toddlerhood

I saw this on the internet months ago and it made me laugh. Now that Emery is almost two and entering "the toddler phase", I'm not laughing anymore. :\ 

Ok, maybe it still makes me chuckle, but only because Emery isn't quite this bad yet. She will tell everyone rather forcefully what is HERS though. Ahhh, the joys of toddlerhood! :)

Houston Ballet's "Peter Pan"

Last weekend I took myself to the ballet to watch them perform "Peter Pan." It was so awesome! Yes, I went by myself, no, there is no shame in taking yourself to a show. I'm good company! A few months ago I actually read the book (free online!), something I realized I had never done despite how many times I had seen the Disney movie. I think reading the book helped me enjoy the ballet even more.

The costumes were amazing, the sets and effects were incredible (they FLY!), and the dancing was beautiful. I couldn't find any good pictures on their website but this little preview gives a feel for it.

I was also quite impressed with the way people were dressed. It seems like when I go to a show in Idaho that most people show up in jeans, but not here! Almost everyone was dressed up, some people were SUPER fancy, we're talking ball gown fancy. In a society that keeps getting more and more casual it's nice to see people who want to show respect by dressing up. Plus it's SO FUN to get all dressed up for a show!

So much for Eensy Weensy

Emery loves our little swingset. She could swing all day long.

She does wear clothes sometimes. Just not every time I want to take a picture.  :)

One afternoon we went out to push her on the swings and found this friendly little guy in her bucket. He was HUGE. 

Sorry Mr. Spider, our backyard isn't big enough for all of us...so you've got to go. Gavin threw him over the fence (into an unfinished lot, we didn't pawn him off on someone else)

Saturday Morning Pancakes

Saturday morning doesn't get much happier than coming out of your room to this adorable sight:

Emery helping Gavin make pancakes. Good things she's supervising or who knows what could happen. 

Gavin makes killer pancakes. And Emery looks like she's picking up some pointers...maybe if I'm lucky I'll never have to make breakfast on Saturday ever again! 

"Gee Mom I wanna go to Girls Camp Mom!"

"Gee Mom I wanna go!"

-Where do you wanna go?

"Gee Mom I wanna go to Girls' Camp Mom!" 

Did anyone else sing that song? "The bathrooms up at girls camp they say are mighty fine..." 

On to the point, I got to go to Girls Camp today! Sure it was only for 3 hours, but I'll take what I can get! It was lovely. 

About a month ago I was asked to come up to camp and give a 30 minute presentation on my mission/what it's like to serve a mission/how to prepare to serve a mission (I gave the presentation 5 times as the groups rotated through). Their theme for camp was "Bloom Where You're Planted" so I chose to title my talk, "Plant a Seed of F.A.I.T.H". I made this to go along with my title:

F. Was about my decision to serve a mission and how Heavenly Father calmed my fears about going and to make a decision to go based on FAITH not on FEAR.

A. Is the importance of having a happy, positive, grateful ATTITUDE in all of life's adversity and challenges. 

I. Focused on Jesus's grace and that we can't succeed on a mission or in life without the help and strength He offers us. I referenced Alma 26:12 and also Elder Bednar's thoughts on the subject. 

T. Discusses what they can do to prepare for a mission, or just to become a better person if they don't want to go, and that is GAIN A TESTIMONY. And once they've received a witness of the truth that isn't the end.  You can keep asking for a witness again and again and receive the Spirit's confirmation that the Gospel has been Restored, Jesus is your Savior, and the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I think this is an important principle that we sometimes forget. We need to regularly put "Moroni's Promise" to the test, even if we already know it's true. It's not just for investigators!

H. Ether 12:27 was the inspiration for this one. As we come closer to Christ, for me it was as I served a mission, it feels like all our shortcomings are thrown in our face. It hurts, but it HUMBLES. As a mission continues, you gain good HABITS, and over time Christ changes you into someone more HOLY than you were before. He can make more out of our lives than we can. 

The whole experience was so wonderful for me. I loved preparing to give the presentation and thinking about the young women and the trials and decisions they might be facing in their lives right now. I loved reliving happy and sad mission memories: thinking about my wonderful companions and other amazing missionaries I served with, investigators who I loved so much, some who fell away, others who stayed strong. It felt so good to study, pray, ponder, and receive guidance about what to teach. I loved driving up to camp early this morning and getting to know one of the young women in my ward who had been sick the first few days so she rode up with me. We even drove over mountains hills changes in elevation to get there. Sadly, it's been awhile since I've seen an elevation change. :) I loved giving the presentation and feeling the purity of those young women. It was a lovely, LOVELY day.