For Fathers

“Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.”

~ Anne Geddes

"A father is always making his baby into a little woman. And when she is a woman he turns her back again." ~Enid Bagnold

"There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself." ~John G. Brown

{why playing airplane with your baby isn't always the best idea}

"Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers and fathering is a very important stage in their development."-David Gottesman

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty." ~ Unknown

"Happiness is having a Dad who cares." -Unknown

{Kevin trying to cheer me up by using the twin boppy...it worked}

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." Unknown

“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.” -Sigmund Freud

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” -Jim Valvano

"To her the name of father was another name for love."~ Fanny Fern

"A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child."
- Knights of Pythagoras

“The first man a little girl falls in love with is her Dad.” ~ Unknown

"The greatest gift I ever had came from God; I call him Dad!"~ Unknown

People ask me all the time, "How do you do it with two toddlers?" While I'd like to give myself all the credit, I couldn't survive without the help and support of my wonderful husband. If I could change the quote around it would say:"Behind every mother of twins is a strong husband." In my case it is very true. Kevin is such a wonderful father to our girls and I am forever in debt to Heavenly Father for blessing me with him. Being a father and provider for our family is a lot of work, especially when your kids come in pairs. Kevin continues to do a wonderful job and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Happy Father's Day!

Saturday Was A Special Day

It was a morning at the zoo

with an endless search for animals

backwards rides in the double stroller

sisters holding hands

and the grooming of several stinky goats.

It was an outdoor birthday party

with a happy birthday boy

a very bouncy bouncer

an endless supply of cotton candy

some slow motion scooter rides

taking turns in front of the swamp cooler

and the discovery of edible facial hair.

What made your Saturday special?

Can I tell you?

I just got back from an adventurous 4 days spent at girls camp. I have to admit to being a tad nervous leaving my girls for such a "long" time. Whether it was because I felt they really needed me or because I really needed them, I can't quite decide. I knew they were in good hands and I am so grateful for the help that allowed me to go to this year. Once we were deep into the woods my anxiety ceased and I was able to soak in all that camp had to offer. I enjoyed the simplicity of nature and it quickly became a haven from all the technology and normalcy's of life. I loved not being tied to any sort of electronics; no Internet, no TV, no radio, with the exception of a few phone calls home to check on the herd of course. It was luxurious almost. Minus the one shower rule and sleeping on a plastic wrapped mattress.

{love these girls}

The transition from being a mom of toddlers to a cabin mom of teenagers was interesting. I was consistently entertained with their jokes and conversations. They too seemed to have their own language that left me down right baffled at times. The girls had a sweet and innocent quirkiness about them that kept me laughing. Since becoming a Young Women's leader, I've figured that I wasn't that much older than they are. For this reason I assumed that I was more of a cool cabin older sister than a mom. After hearing several songs at the dance which I didn't recognize it became more obvious to me that a decade does make a difference.
Alas, I am a total cabin mom.

There is so much to tell, but where to start?

Can I tell you that I ate more sugary junk food than I ever imagined?

Can I tell you that I savored that one hot shower until I HAD to get out?

Can I tell you that I LOVED being in nature, bugs and all?

Can I tell you how awesome my young women are?

Can I tell you how much the camp songs have changed since I was a beehive?

Can I tell you how many girls ended up getting hurt while at camp?
(no serious injuries, just girls being girls)

Can I tell you how I froze because I did a horrible job at predicting what the weather would be like?

Can I tell you how many people probably saw me sitting on the pot because they didn't know how to properly check to see if the stall is occupied or not?

Can I tell you that I felt so much more connected to the Spirit while I was at camp?

Can I tell you how spiritually renewed I feel after so many wonderful camp experiences?

Can I tell you that I missed my sweet girls and my guy but this "break" is what I really needed?

Can I tell you how much more annoying it was to turn on the radio this morning and hear a raunchy song and any song for that matter?

Can I tell you that I had 244 emails in my inbox and a long list of blog posts that needed to be read? (I'm not that popular, I'm just on a few e-mail lists)

Can I tell you how hairy my legs were when I got home?

Can I tell you how good it felt to sleep in my own bed?

Can I tell you how heavenly it was to come home to a CLEAN house and a sweet husband who had spent the morning cleaning it?

Can I tell you how excited I was to see my girls and how they seemed so much more grown up then when I left?

Can I tell you how fun camp was, how glad I was that I went, but how happy I am to be back?

OK then.

The Mommy In Me

Drives me to nurture those who are less able than I

Compels me to teach proper habits to those that I love


Instills in me the importance of good hygiene, no matter how dirty the job

Overwhelms me at times when I fear that I may not be good enough

Encourages me to put on my mommy shoes each day and serve with a smile

I love that my girls have been showing so much interest in doing mommy things lately. They love to help me cook and clean and wash each others hair. It's fun to see them express motherly qualities at such a young age. They remind me a lot of myself when I was little.