Precious Moments

I had one of those wonderful rare moments tonight, where there were no distractions, my babe was still and calm, and I was able to gaze into the face of perfection that my husband and I created.

I saw those big blue eyes staring solemnly at me with a pure love and trust and innocence that caused me to forget about the world around me and just look at my baby. I was reminded that I needed to slow down and enjoy this sweet little one and quit worrying about all the silly things that I worry about.

In that rare moment, I felt my love increase for my sweet little girl.

Motherhood is a beautiful thing.

The Best Two Years

{Aren't these boys so stinkin handsome?!}

Yesterday was Tate's farewell. For the past 3 or 4 years, Tate has kind of become Dallin and my adopted younger brother. We love that kid. We are going to miss him terribly as he serves his mission in Figi, but I wouldn't have him in any other place. He will be an amazing missionary; He already is! I thought of what a great example he has been to those he has associated with for the past few years that I have known him and I am just impressed with his genuine love and concern for everyone. What a great example of love for his fellowmen. We are going to miss you so much, Tate! We love you and can't wait to see you in two years!

"Perhaps the reason we respond so universally to our mothers’ love is because it typifies the love of our Savior." -Bradley D. Foster
{source}

{My personal favorite}

Sometimes....

{My sweet little Child of God}

Sometimes you just need a little reminder like this to put things into perspective. Thanks Hill, I needed that today.

My Main Squeeze

I've attended a couple of weddings this weekend and can I just tell you how grateful I am for my AMAZING husband? I was reminded of that over-the-moon in love feeling I had for him when were dating, engaged, and first married and that super excited feeling I would always get anytime I saw him. I still get those feelings all the time, but it's fun to remember the excitement of your wedding day and to reflect on those wonderful blessings that marriage brings. I'm so grateful that he is mine for eternity.

As I have looked back on the last 3 years I have learned a few things about Dallin.


First, he's SUCH a hard worker. I don't know that I appreciated it the first summer we were married, but oh goodness, do I appreciate it now. He loves to be active and employed and hates standing still.

Second, his integrity. That man is so honest and is always concerned about whether he has been totally open and honest with all he deals with. I appreciate that so much in him. I know he is ALWAYS honest with me and I trust him 100%.



Third, his love for the Gospel. He is always striving to improve himself and loves to share the Gospel message with everyone he meets. He takes after his Grandpa Val Calaway. He's not afraid to share what he believes with anyone!



Fourth, (something I have discovered in the last 8 months) he's an amazing father. I always knew he would be a great father, but I didn't expect his total and complete love and adoration for his little girl. Claire will never doubt she is loved by her daddy because he is ALWAYS lovin on her! He can't get enough of her and always tells me how much he misses her when he's gone at work. (I have to remind him that he misses me too) ;-)



And last, but most certainly not least, he is so incredibly attractive. I remember the first time I met him (when I was 18 and he was 22) I pretty much went weak in the knees. Oh goodness, I was a fool for that boy. And I acted the part well, too. He tells me I was annoying and loud (I was) but I just wanted his attention! :) When he came and picked me up for my first date, I remember opening the door, seeing him standing there and me getting all tongue tied and nervous. I thought he was so hot and, well, I still do. Sometimes I look at him and think, "why'd he pick me again??"

I love this man so much and am so incredibly grateful for all he has done and continues to do for our little family. He's the perfect man for me! I love you babe! Happy Father's Day!

Lessons Learned While Climbing a Mountain

{Picture taken from a hike I did of Badger in 2008}

Now, before you think I am super impressive and am hiking to incredible heights, let me assure you, Badger Mountain is not an impressive mountain. Well, let me rephrase that. To the out of shape hiker like myself, it is truly impressive. To those who have climbed, say, Mt. Everest, Badger looks like an ant hill. But I digress.

As I was climbing this morning with my mom and cousin, I kept noticing a man who was in front of us that looked quite experienced with this particular mountain. His pace was steady and he was not visibly struggling. As I came nearer to him, I started watching his feet. For some odd reason, my feet were drawn to the large rocks protruding from the pathway, while this man would move his foot a few inches here and there and dodge the rocks. As I started to do likewise, I found my climb was substantially easier. I thought of all the times in my life where I seemed to be drawn to something, only to figure out that it was the harder way and was making my life more complicated than it needed to be. Isn't it interesting how our church leaders continually give us wise counsel, as well as the scriptures, and like the man ahead of me on the path, show us the easier way? Yet we sometimes ignore them (at least I know I do on occasion). Why not save myself the trouble and choose the easier way? Sometimes I look at my face in the mirror and think, "silly girl... when will you learn?" All I can say is, I'm a work in progress!

The next lesson was learned as I was ascending a particularly steep part of the trail. I had been so focused on the trail and the obstacles it was presenting, that I was forgetting to look at the magnificent view of the Tri-Cities and the Columbia River that that elevation afforded me. Do you ever do that? Get so focused on what needs to be accomplished and get so consumed with your daily tasks, you forget to look at your children or your husband or even the living room floor that is littered with toys and books and games and a sweet giggling baby? I forget to enjoy the view sometimes. And the view I have right now is a beautiful one filled with the sweetest baby girl and a most loving and devoted husband and a small and cozy basement apartment that is all we need right now. I may not own the fanciest of cars or the biggest tv or the latest iPhone, but I have things that are worth far more than that in my life. The things that will be with me forever. My family.

The last lesson I learned happened in the last 100 yards of the hike. Those last 100 yards are a bugger! Talk about steep! As I was huffing and puffing and wondering if I was going to need a helicopter to take me back down the mountain (this is after like a half hour to 40 minutes of hiking mind you... I am total weak-sauce) I thought about how life is getting more difficult these days. It's not just having to raise a family or incurring debt for school or trying to make ends meet. We're just getting to the end. Things are getting tougher (more tough?) and we have to endure to the end. Because seriously, the view from the top? Well, it's magnificent. And I know, when the day comes that I get to see my Savior, face to face, it will be a glorious day. I may be huffing and puffing, my legs may feel like they're about to collapse underneath me, my heart may be pounding, but I intend to endure to the end.

"And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God."

{Another picture from my hike from 2008. That's Rattlesnake Mountain in the distance.}

Mid Morning Musings...

It's been awhile since I updated this here blog. I apologize! Especially since the last post was on, none other than, feet.

Awesome.

I'll do better from here on out!

Claire turns 8 months next Thursday. Holy sha-moley. She's getting so big too! She isn't crawling yet, but she rolls everywhere and anywhere. She has 3 teeth now, and two are totally snaggle teeth. Poor kid. She LOVES graham crackers, cheerios, bananas, pears, apple sauce, carrots and sweet potatoes. She also loves it when I feed her any kind of potato product- french fries, mashed potatoes, hash browns, potato chips (gotcha! don't worry, not feeding her those yet) and she loves ice cream. But then again, who wouldn't love ice cream? I mean really, who are we kidding? She has started to eat rice cereal and oatmeal again (yay!) after a 2 month hiatus. We keep experimenting and she keeps eating, so we're happy. She also loves to make noises with her mouth. Namely "farty" noises. I'm blaming Dallin for that particular trait. Apparently he got frequent notes and or phone calls from teachers at school telling Jeff and Valerie that he was disrupting the class with all of the noises he made with his mouth. Funny thing is, he still makes silly noises now. Some things will never change. :)

Memorial Day was wonderful. We were able to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Mathews grave in Pasco and then we went to Othello where we saw Grandpa Calaway and Shiloh's grave as well as Grandma and Grandpa Courtney's grave (Grandma Jane Calaway's parents), and great Grandma and Grandpa Kent's grave. Then we spent the rest of the day with Valerie's family at her parents house. Grandpa Kent gave us a ride in his buggy (sooo cool!!) and we ate too much deliciousness. Of course, I didn't take ANY pictures the entire time we were there, so all you get to see are the gravesites. Sorry.

Flowers at my Grandma and Grandpa Mathews grave. That peony was so beautiful.

Can you believe my grandparents were married in 1929?? So crazy. Another crazy thing- my grandpa was born in 1906! My dad's grandma was born in 1902. So, my great grandma Burton was only 4 years older than my Grandpa Mathews. Pretty insane!

A HUGE thank you to the service men and women in our Country. I am so grateful for all those who have sacrificed their time, their families, and for some, their lives, so we can enjoy the freedoms here in America. We are truly blessed.

I've been touched, inspired, awed, moved, and somewhat melancholy as I have been reading Natasha's blog. Can we say, wow? She's amazing. Her positive attitude about her 2 year old daughter fighting cancer is just incredible. What an example of faith and trust in the Lord. I think an auction to raise money for their family might be in the near future, so stay tuned. I will give you all the details once we figure everything out. It will be here in Pasco and I know there will be amazing things donated, so get excited. Plus, there is no better cause than to help a family in such a time of need as this.

Dallin got accepted to Willamette University for the Fall 2011 MBA program! Yay! He also got a scholarship, which we are super stoked about. Dallin is such a stud, wouldn't you agree? :) I am so proud of him. He works so hard and provides so well. Claire and I are the luckiest girls in the world! We just sent in our deposit check to tell Willamette we will be attending this fall, so it looks like we have two more years in Salem. We're so excited to start (and, might I add, finish) :) this next phase of life. Grad school, here we come!

I feel so blessed to live this life that I do. I often have these words run through my mind each day, "Because I have been given much, I too must give. Because of thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live. I shall divide my gifts from Thee with every brother that I see, who has the need of help from me." I try to provide an act of service each day to show my Heavenly Father how truly thankful I am for all he has done for me.

So, that's pretty much all the wonderfulness going on in our lives. Oh, and here are some great pictures, because really? What would a post be without pictures of my sweet babe??