Fun with Kayla!

Everything is better with Kayla. I had to go to SLC for an exam and while I was there I got to hang out with Kayla. It was SUPER great because then Kurt and the kids came over to SLC and got to be with Kayla too! Carter, of course, LOVED being with her. (As you can tell from the picture above! Look at how proud Carter is of "my Kayla!")

We all took the Trax train to see Rango- SO CUTE! After the movie we all went back downtown to our hotel and we watched Harry Potter on TV. It was the perfect way to end the day =)

Moved!!!!

YES! WE DID IT!!!! WE MOVED!!!!!

With some help from our dear friends, we moved in less than 24 hours! Right now 85% of the house is unpacked, and that isn't bad at all! We have lived here for 9 days, 6 of which Kurt was in California, so, I really don't feel too bad that we have some more unpacking to do. We have done GREAT!

I love our new place. We are in a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath town home. Perfection! We admit, we looked into buying a home, but we just didn't feel right about it. Good thing, because Verizon made it clear that mobility is key, and Kurt is LOVING his job. So, mobile we shall be, renting is just fine!

Our town home is perfect. I love it. It is in an AMAZING neighborhood. I would say the culture is kind of like Draper, Utah. Not the Sandy, Utah or The 900 Court culture I was looking for, but it feels more like "home" than any other part of Reno. All the time people are out running, biking, etc. I love it! Kurt and I got a family pass to the local country club and fitness club- so what is NOT to love?!

I will post pictures soon =) (Once I figure out where I put my camera...)

The kids each have their own bedroom, and for the most part they love it! We let them "decorate" with wall stickers. They are enjoying their Independence. I love it too! Life sure is different! We all miss Sean greatly, each day. We keep a chair at the table for him. We let each child pick one electronic gadget for his room. Carter picked a computer, and Harrison picked a TV. Each boy loves it!

A few of our biggest changes are not just our surroundings, but what we are filling our home with. When we moved here we committed to being sure that the boys did more around the house (like, making their beds and cleaning their rooms each day). We also made a very strong commitment to living healthier as a family- by agreeing to be active at the fitness club together (there are classes and childcare, as well as family activities!) and by agreeing to have NO JUNK FOOD IN THE HOUSE. At first I thought that the junk food rule would be hard, but I find that the combination of shopping at Whole Foods, plus weekly menu planning, plus our gluten free lifestyle, has really made healthy eating pretty easy! We were gluten free when we lived on campus at the U- but I found that attempting to be gluten free while living with my brother and Sean was just impossible. So, now that we are our own household again, gluten free is perfect!

Now that we have gotten a lot of the unpacking done, and we are mostly used to the noises around the house, we are already feeling like this is "home" and we love it =) SO NICE! We had forgotten how wonderful it is not to share space! Although sharing space can be fun, it can also be stressful- and I am enjoying the peace. Our time with Brian and Sean will be looked at fondly- we really do love Sean as if he was one of our own =) And we wish only the best for Brian.

We love our neighbors! We just had a new couple move in next door, and they are so friendly! We really are lucky =) We will get to go to our new ward soon, and we are thrilled to meet everyone! Life is great!!!

Grandma to the rescue!

Being a mother is hard. Being a full time mother is VERY hard. Being a full time mother, while being a full time student is SUPER hard. Being a full time mother, full time student, and having your husband gone for 1 month of training in another state is... unnerving. Insert family arguments with Brian. Add to this snow that gave the kids school delays and days off and you have a spazzed Mellissa.

Yup, I lost it. Taking care of 3 boys under 6 was too much. Midterms, kids, no hubby. I totally went off the deep end. I was crushed and quickly coming undone.

My mother felt the need to call me, and I broke down in tears. I just couldn't handle the kids while doing a research paper and taking an exam. Couldn't be done. I felt like a failure. I felt HORRIBLE that I just didn't measure up. My mother told me to pack up the kids and come to her house, she told me she would help. She had NO idea how much I needed it.

Asking for help is a hard thing, especially for perfectionist types who seem to believe they can "do it all" (aka, me). I would NEVER deny help to others- no way! I enjoy helping other people, and I have a very long history of volunteering in many different roles. I enjoy serving others, and find joy in doing so. Why then, if I so freely give help, am I so stubborn to ask for it?

When pondering this question I came across this scripture from The Book of Mormon:

Alma 7:23
And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.

It took years, but now I can finally be humble enough that I can get on my knees not just to thank God, but to ask for help. I can ask God for help, but I cannot seem to ask my fellow men. This is silly! I realized that by withholding my requests in times of need, I am denying God the opportunity to work through His children. I am denying other people their chance to serve! How selfish!

I know myself well enough to know when I need a break. Kurt and I know one another well enough to know when we need to back off of one another, or to offer extra help of some kind. It is very nice to be able to have such a generous husband, who is willing to work at his job, and then come work really hard at home if he sees that I am overly stressed. I try hard to be extra sweet and give him space when I see that he is more tense than usual. We work hard to give one another the tools and time that we need as individuals, in order for us to thrive together. This is what effective teamwork can do- if each of us puts the other first, no one is neglected. (It took YEARS to learn this, and occasionally we still have "meetings" to talk about improvements) So, it wasn't as if I didn't KNOW that I was at my breaking point. I had known for weeks! However, rather than ask for help from willing friends and neighbors, I sat in a puddle of self-pity. How wrong!!!! God does not want us to be miserable, no!

Psalms 68:3
But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

When my wonderful husband learned of my situation, he brainstormed our move. Yes, we were living rent free while we lived with my brother- but at what cost? Our mental and emotional health, and the mental and emotional health of our children, is worth more to us than a rental agreement. Besides, we moved to help my brother, not to get free rent- and apparently he felt that we weren't helping. Yup, time to leave. So, from California, Kurt set us up to move. I found the perfect place, and we were out in under 2 weeks. Amazing, right? I think so! Kurt had a weekend that he could come home- he had to work part of it, and only had one single day off- and that was the day we moved. Our wonderful friends Dennis and Jaime, and my amazing parents, came to help us- and we were done.

The peace that has come after making this decision has been a huge blessing. Our lives feel calm, happy, and our own again. We have joy =)

I want my children to know that it is OKAY to ask for help! It is a GOOD thing to seek help when we need it! I will always be there to help them, just as my parents and Kurt's parents are always there to help us! Kurt and I are so thankful for our families, and the great examples they have provided. We are so thankful for such a wonderful church that gives so many opportunities to help others! And we so thankful for our friends who have given their time to assist us! THANK YOU!!!!! Mostly, we are thankful for a loving Heavenly Father, who provides ways for us to learn life lessons, and improve while we are here on Earth- we really do learn something new every day!

Sean helps Grandpa make breakfast before going back home.

Carter and Harrison make "houses"

Grandma cuts fruit

Harrison is excited to swim!

This place is too fun! (I went swimming with them when we went back!)

Carter shows us, "I'm a good swimmer!"

Adorable!

Dinner at Mom's favorite resturant, mmm!

Grandpa and Grandma Smith

Grandpa and Grandma Smith build Lego toys and watch Star Wars! To the kids- this is PERFECT!

2 Hour Late Start

"Dear Kurt- Things here are worse. Now I cant go outside, apparently Mellissa is worried I will run away. I dont know why you guys would think I would run away. I LOVE it here! The noisey kids, the messes, the drama, the stress, oh its super...... okay, maybe now I understand why she wont let me outside. You should have taken me with you. Love, Amelie"

... cant let the kids out to play. UGH.

Kids entertaining themselves by playing Super Mario Brothers Wii!

Today is day 2 of 2 hour late starts at school. The kids are getting SOOOOO sick of being indoors! Amelie grows more and more needy as winter-blahs fill the house. We all need to just keep focusing on Mexico in a few weeks!!!!

Twilight Day

Harrison has fun while Mommy watches Eclipse!

The boys show off their Valentines from Grandma and Grandpa Lyle!

Carter's new tooth! (It is on the bottom, front, left- peeking behind his baby tooth)

Carter ADORES his stuffed puppy from Kayla!




Carter shows us "Bowling Pin" - that is the puppy's name. This animal represents all things that Carter loves: Kayla, animals, and bowling. LOL!

Today was a super awesome day! I went to Jaime's house and we watched Eclipse! Well... most of it. We were so chatty we didn't get through the whole thing! Harrison came with me and played with Jaime's daughter. They were not interested in getting their pictures taken, but we managed to snap a few!

Carter and Harrison got mail today! It was Valentine Cards from Grandma and Grandpa Lyle! They were thrilled to get mail, and excited that the cards came with money! Now that Carter is learning about money- he gets a thrill out of having some! LOL!

After school, we went and saw Gnomeo and Juliet. What a cute movie! The boys had a great time! It was so windy here, we didn't play outside, but hopefully things will calm down with the weather!

Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day! Today was our first day without Kurt- he is away on a FOUR WEEK training in California. This is going to be tough, but we can do it! Today was pretty good! This morning my good friend Jaime watched Harrison so I could relax with a wonderful yoga session. I am still working on breaking in my new mat, but it will be awesome! We did a lot of heart openers, and talked about how to open our hearts in our lives- neat session =)

Harrison went with Jaime cheerfully- he happily waved goodbye! (I think he has a crush on her daughter!) Carter went to school with NO issues- he just walked right into the classroom! YAY! This afternoon Jaime's daughter came to our house to play, so Jaime could volunteer at school- Harrison loved the company =)

Today was special for Carter. Carter has a special gift from Kayla, and he cuddles it every single night. Carter made some valentine crafts, he has been begging to send so many to Kayla, I am not sure of how we will send them! Carter also squeezed in some time to make a special valentine for Kurt- I am putting a picture of it up for Kurt to see =)

All in all it was a great day- looking forward to many more =)


OH! I almost forgot to mention, Carter is losing his first tooth! HOORAY! He is so excited! We can see the new tooth popping up behind it! YAY!


(I will not mention that the first day Kurt is gone that half of the fence blew over with our strong winds, and that one of the toilets overflew at least 6 bucket-fulls of toilet water and flooded the bathroom... /sigh)

"Dear Kurt, You have forced my hand. I am going to spend the rest of my days in a drunken state. You should have brought me to Cali with you. Never Yours, Amelie"

"I love my dad" by Carter

"Brothers love each other!"

I told the boys to make silly faces, lol!

We miss you, Daddy!

Food Storage!

No, this is not a picture of my food storage... yet.

I don't believe it is mere coincidence that the very last can of tomatoes from our food storage was used on the very same day that Kurt started his new job. Nope, cant be.

"Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we can care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others. We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."
—The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, Feb. 2007, 1


My mother always kept a very full pantry, something that she learned from her own mother- a bargain shopper who took advantage of every sale (having 6 kids made a big grocery bill!). My mother kept the tradition and always had a lot of food around. I tried to keep the practice in my own home, but it never worked for me. I didn't really focus on having "food storage" until my mid twenties, but by then I had no idea of how the heck to start. The idea of having ample food storage was overwhelming. Where would we keep it? How would we afford it? What the heck would we buy? Thoughts like this flooded my mind, and I found myself sitting at the back of Relief Society programs where food storage was the main topic, or just skipping them all together. I just felt too out of my element. While the other women were learning how to make "mock ground beef" using whole wheat and smiles I was looking around and wondering- where do we get whole wheat? What the heck do I make with it when I do get it? What do you mean I need a wheat grinder? Harrison and I cant eat wheat- NOW WHAT?!

I know this sounds silly- but it is something I lost sleep on. I looked at ready-made kits. I looked into canning. I looked into bulk. I looked into specialty companies, who (for a mere $6000) could provide me with what they said I needed. But after doing a lot of reading I learn that the body rejects foods that are unlike it has ever been fed, and many cases of malnourishment and starvation occurred when there WAS access to food, but it was food that the body was not willing to accept. Ugh. Bring on the headache. There are at least a dozen amazing sites that are willing to walk me through step by step food storage help- but NONE that seemed practical for what we needed. So, Kurt and I decided to take our complaints to the Bishop of our Ward (about... hm... 4 wards ago). At the time we were super young with super young kids. Our Bishop heard my thoughts, and laughed. He suggested that in order to start my own food storage, that I start slow. He asked that we add 2 items per grocery trip, to our storage. Just 2. We can pick the 2. We had no space in our small apartment, so he suggested taking the 2 items and putting them in a box under our bed. And this began our food storage.

Our food storage has never been huge, and never had whole wheat. Our food storage is things we use often, and things that we love. Our first try with using food storage was a semi disaster- but a step on our path of learning. We bought off-brand, on-sale cheap foods, that we normally wouldn't touch, but we thought would work in our storage. Kurt's company reorganized and we found ourselves using our food storage as our main grocery source. UGH. It was gross. Icky food plus depressing situation = NOT GOOD. We vowed to do better the next time. The next time we stuck to our boxing method, but because Kurt's income was so comfortable we didn't make food storage a priority. Kurt's company eliminated his position. This time, we had foods that were pretty much the same as we were used to, and I had even provided food storage treats. PERFECT!

Ever since then, I make sure to buy extras in the good quality products that we use, and always keep a few treats around. I know that by planning ahead, we are setting ourselves up for success in the event of an emergency, and at the very least, we are setting ourselves up to be able to help those in need at any given time.


So, today- as I used my last can of tomatoes. I was grateful. I was so grateful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the loving messages they provide. I was so thankful that my food storage helped us keep our grocery bills low while Kurt was home. I was so thankful for the wonderful family that I get to feed, and I was thankful for the comfort that having food storage provided.