In My Daughters Eyes

I was feeling a bit emotional this evening after having finished registering Kitty for school and decided to look at the pictures we took at the park today. As I looked through the pics and became teary, the perfect song came on. A mixture of sobs and laughter is how I have spent this evening thinking back over the last few years with my beautiful daughters. I am so thankful for my precious girl and so heartbroken at how fast the time is going. In two months my little Katherine turns 4 and in four and a half months my baby Diadamia turns 2. It is such a blessing and such a heart break. I am so thankful every day for my babies. I am so thankful for them and hope that Heavenly Father sends many more beautiful little spirits to our home to love and watch grow. They are the best blessing anyone could hope for...I see who I want to be, in my daughters eyes.

In my daughter's eyes, I am a hero.

I am strong an' wise,

And I know no fear.

But the truth is plain to see:

She was sent to rescue me,

I see who I wanna be, in my daughter's eyes.

In my daughter's eyes, everyone is equal,

Darkness turns to light,

And the world is at peace.

This miracle God gave to me,

Gives me strength when I am weak.

I find reason to believe, in my daughter's eyes.

An' when she wraps her hand around my finger,

Oh, it puts a smile in my heart.

Everything becomes a little clearer.

I realise what life is all about.

It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough;

It's givin' more when you feel like givin' up.

I've seen the light: it's in my daughter's eyes.

In my daughter's eyes, I can see the future.

A reflection of who I am,

An' what will be.

An' though she'll grow an', some day, leave:

Maybe raise a family,

When I'm gone, I hope you'll see,

How happy she made me,

For I'll be there, in my daughter's eyes.

Martina McBride-In My Daughter's Eyes

Count Your Blessings Name Them One By One

I have a truly wonderful life. The most beautiful wonderful family and so many other blessings. Since having married my husband I have had to go through a lot....a never ending battle one might say. However, during these last near seven years I have had the best times of my life as well as the worst. This past week has been a very hard one for me. I have had to face a trial that was incredibly painful to my heart, mind and body. I have noticed that since it happened I have been of the mind set that life is too short not to live it as happily as you can. I have been crushed and felt crazy. I had even decided that the people in the world that treat me poorly or get under my skin are not going to be a part of my life anymore. And thus far I have even made sure not to have any contact whatsoever with any of them. Perhaps what I really need to do is count my blessings and name some of them.....

Jesus Christ. My Saviour and Brother who is there for me everyday. Who died for my sins so that I can work hard and face my trials and mistakes and still return one day to live with my Heavenly Father. He loves me and will no matter what I do. With Him I am never alone, no matter what the trial or difficulty.

I am blessed with a husband who is brilliant, thoughtful, funny, loving, hard-working, gorgeous and a wonderful father and husband. My eternal companion who I don't think I could survive without.

A daughter who tries in every way to be like me and is so clever and beautiful. Who everyday causes me to laugh and cry over the wonderful spirit she is. For a daughter who is the best big sister anyone could hope for. So patient and kind. Playful, giving, loving, and happy.

For a daughter who is growing from baby into girl and causing laughter as she goes. A little girl who is so adorable and looks to her big sister for everything. Shy, sweet, and observant.

My mother...who has been it all. Mother, Father, Sister, and Friend. I am so blessed to have a mother who is so strong and loving. Who has played more roles in my life than most could ever dream to handle and did it with love, happiness, and patience.

A younger brother who was my best friend the majority of my life and who is always there when you need him. A smart man who is so in love with his neices he comes over just to have "tea" parties.

In-laws.. the fights are continuous, the harmony may never exist, but parts of the wonderful man I married are due to them. Without them Ryan wouldn't be here. From the outside looking in I see the wonderful people that they are and can be. For the love they all have for my two precious babies and for their willingness to help when needed.

Wonderful friends, they see you at your best and worst and still love you and come back for more. Without friends the world just wouldn't be as amazing.

There are so many things in the world to be thankful for, family, friends, the beautiful things created by Heavenly Father, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The blessings are continuous and numerous. Everyday I am going to focus on the things for which I count as blessings.
To all of my family and friends that read this (every single one of you) I love you. You are a blessing in my life.

Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping....

At the request of my sweet hubby I have been looking for houses for sale in Oklahoma and the possibilities have me soooo excited! The thought of being near my beloved and so very missed family has me near tears I am so happy. I have loved being near my brother and hubbys family for the most part these last few years, but I am so ready for a fresh start and a new adventure. I am not giving up on what I have spent seven years trying to obtain while here in NV, but rather putting the past behind me, starting fresh and not worrying about trying so hard or seeking for peoples approval of which I will never obtain. I am ready to be near those who love us and have had to miss out on our life thus far. Though I will be leaving behind my very best friend I know things will be fine. I know that we will have one of those forever lasting friendships.
Is there a downside to this huge move? Sure! For one, I am TERRIFIED of tornados. Even though my nearly 79 year old Grandpa who has lived in OK almost his whole life has never even seen a tornado many others have. Heck, my Aunt Faye has had her house totalled twice. Scary how random it is. I don't like random!!
Other sadnesses....leaving behind my brother. He is such a wonderful man. We have never been apart for very long. I hate the thought of being away from my sibling who was my best friend growing up and such a wonderful loving Uncle to my girls.
The other thing that has been sitting in the back of my mind is my in-laws. But I know that moving away will really be best. I know that Ryan has wanted to move for years now and I have been the one holding us back in the hopes of something better than what we have as a family. I am now in the hopes that with absence the heart will grow fonder. All in all I guess I am just hoping that it isn't an entire parting of the ways though it may in fact be. As I never discuss family or problems with people, to those of you who read this, I love my in-laws. I feel that they love me. However, there has been a huge drift between us all since day 1 and we have basically no contact anymore which is probably for the best for everyone. But we all in some way or another do love each other and want things to be better. A solution just hasn't been found yet.
Enough of that. The list of things to do is crazy! We move in just under 4 months! May is just around the corner and with it comes so much packing and sorting to be done. The only time I can really get stuff done is once my sweet girls are asleep and then I have to be quiet. And Ryan is so busy. What with working full time, graduate school 3 nights a week, and Elders Quorum President it is a wonder we see him at all! Sooo much to do and time is running out! YAY FOR FUNNESS!!! LOL

Disneyland

Well, earlier this week we had a lovely three day mini vacation to the happiest place on Earth. That's right, DISNEYLAND! It was such fun. It was the very first time our cute little family went alone. (We have always gone with the in laws.) It was a total blast. Best time to go ever! All, and I do mean all rides were walk on while we were there Tues and Wed. This includes Nemo, and Peter Pan which have always had long waits. Tuesday we did all of our major Dland riding, covering all of Fantasyland and all other big rides we wanted to do. All done in a space of four hours. Wednesday we did all of California Adventure in the morning and had lunch at Ariel's Grotto. We tend to eat there everytime we go. I was very happy as Small World was finally open and it was still Christmas themed! Plus they have added Disney characters throughout. Cinderella, Stitch, Jessie and Woody, Nemo and loads of others. The rest of the day was spent riding varieous rides and searching for characters. It was a blast. We even got to see a bunch we had never met before. Characters we got autographs and pics with;

Ariel, Cinderella, Aurora, Mulan, Snow White, Frozone, Tinkerbell (twice), Fawn, Silvermist, Terence, Jasmine, Aladdin, Tiana, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Woody, Pocahontas, Fairy Godmother

I'd say it was a successful trip. lol The only problem we had was Jessie. Jessie being one of Kitty's very fav characters we decided Thursday she would be our only real goal. Found her right away after riding Toy Story which was great as it was only 1pm and we had loads of time left. The problem was the line was closed to see her. Poor Katherine was heartbroken. She leaned against me, said "all I wanted was to see Jessie" and very quietly cried. Broke my heart and made me all teary. So, we asked and were told Jessie would be back in 30 and we decided to eat lunch right in front while we waited for her. After almost 50min had passed and still no Jessie, Ryan went to ask someone. Turns out her sched got changed and she was now going to be over at the other end of the park for the next 20 min. So we packed up and hurried over. What happens when we get there? No Jessie, low and behold Woody is there just like the other place. Hmm...where is Jessie? Yet again we wait for near 40 min and still no Jessie the yodeling cowgirl. Finally asked another employee only to be told Jessie was now going to be at Dland for the remainder of the day. OH GOODY!! Yet again we packed up and headed back across the park and over to Dland. We ask two employees where Jessie will be and they point us to Big Thunder Mountain. So there we rest and await for over 30 min. Here's a huge shock, still no Jessie! I was now getting a tad bit mad. Anyone who knows me knows that things get very bad if I am angry. So Ryan decided he would be the one to go find out what the heck was going on. Which was best for the sake of any person I would have run into. Murder at Dland would have been bad. This time Ryan found a kid and explained the whole situation and he was nice enough to call and find out what was going on and why we had been told so many stories. Where was Jessie this whole time? Well she got moved back to the second place she was supposed to be. Back over at Cali Adven. By then it was going on 4 and we were getting tired of running back and forth between parks. We decided to abandon the quest for Jessie and let Kitty pick out all of the remainding rides.

It was over all a great trip! Below are just a few pics. Gonna add a slideshow sometime.

Santa

I had almost forgotten to post at least one pic from Christmas! Katherine was so excited to see Santa this year. She ended up seeing him at church and at Bass Pro Shops..he sure gets around. lol Mia didn't seem to mind him at all and once he gave her a candy cane she really liked him. :) Katherine had her list prepared. When she got there and he asked what she would like this is how the conversation went, Kitty="Mmm...1-a bicycle, 2- blessings, 3- Strawberry Shortcake doll" Santa="Blessings huh? That is a great thing to ask for, who should get the blessings?" Kitty="Me, my Mommy, my Daddy and my little Mia most." Santa looked at me and while I was trying my very best not to cry I noticed his eyes were all glassy and full. It was truly a moment I will never forget. I am forever grateful for my wonderful loving husband and for the two sweetest "blessings" the Lord ever sent to this Earth.

More Pics

clockwise from top left: Ireland, Katherine, Breleigh, Gianna, Kaitlyn (not pictured: Abby and Victoria)
Gianna, Breleigh, Ireland, Katherine, Kaitlyn (not pictured: Abby and Victoria)

Ballet Pic

There were quite a few pics taken, but I am still waiting for the group ones so I can post them. Here is one of just her that I took so I wouldn't have to wait. lol The outfit is just adorable. This is for her Santa Clause Is Coming to Town number. The tutu is made of white and dark pink tulle, and the vest is dark pink felt trimmed in maribu.