2015

On November 1st it will mark 2 years in our home. I love where I live. I could do without all the construction and the commute to work (to West Valley) but that is only temporary. I've made some good friends and live in a great neighborhood. Caleb is 3 and is wildly independent. He is very stubborn, opinionated but can be so loving and sweet. When Caleb turned 3 there were moments I thought I lost my sweet little angel. Nothing compared to 3. Terrible Twos? Who made that up? Nothing is as bad as 3. ha ha it can be a struggle, that's for sure. But there are some pros. I get to see Caleb's mind grow right before my eyes. Learning so much every day. He amazes me. You read him a book and he soaks up every word and learns from what you are reading. Hence how he is an expert on constructions trucks of all kinds, exotic animals at the zoo etc.It the cutest thing to hear a toddler say these big words we read in books. He knows his letters and his numbers. In fact I randomly found out he knew his numbers when we went to see his pediatrician at IMC for a check up. The hospital has numbers on all the different buildings and he just stared pointed and naming off each number. I was like...umm when did that happen?!

It's crazy how he slowly is starting to understand numbers and how they relate in a mathematical term. He's 3, don't get me wrong. He doesn't even know what the word Math means. But addition and subtraction in a real world sense is slowly making it's way into that toddler's brain, with the help of his Dad. :)

Life is such keeping me busy and making it so it flies by quicker than I would like. I work full time, am a mother to the cutest, wild 3 year old. Wife of a hard working man and Primary Chorister. My career at work keeps me on my toes. My company keeps growing and with it, so do I. Some people would push me all the way up to Director if I let them, but I would never do that. I feel like because I am a women, I get more pressure to do something big in the corporate world or I am not living up to my abilities. Well I like being a Mom and being home for dinner, so... I'll pass on being a director who travels a lot, works long hours and replies to emails on the weekend. I think I will always work in some way or another. I think for me, it feels good to get out and do something outside the home and continue to challenge myself and allow my kids see that. But it won't always be 40 hours a week hopefully. Thankfully God has blessed us with Ranae and her wonderful home. The kids there are Caleb's "siblings" She is his 3rd grandma and it's been really great for Caleb. 

Caleb also keeps me on my toes. He can be challenging sometimes but other times he melts my heart and my heart might burst! I love being his mom. He definitely teaches me patience but also that sometimes your first reaction is not the best and you should pause and really listen to this little person or big because their outburst might not be an outburst just to be rude and annoying but something much more. Us humans have so many emotions and there is not an easy way to automatically know how to handle them. I hope I can help him navigate through the many emotions life brings. How do you help your child grow up to be a mentally and emotionally healthy child? Now a days, I feel in the young adults it's actually rare to find. Being a parent can be hard, you want the best for your child and the world keeps changing and throwing more curve balls and you have to be ready and somehow figure out how to parent in this ever changing world that seems to be destroying itself. I refuse to let the world take my family down with it. Like I said, being a parent keeps you on your toes. 

Spencer. My wonderful husband. We are..different. He has energy that I will never have. He actually likes work and staying very busy. I like downtime and a day off. I mean, so does he but only after he has been super productive. When I say work I don't only mean that 40 hour a week job. I mean anything that falls in the category of being productive. He is so productive! That's his thing. He thrives on being productive. See how I just used that word 3 times? It's his thing. ha ha. To say he works hard for this family is an understatement. He has been working for a company called Bizvision. After some changes and movement he ended up being the only one in Production and was their entire production department! He was able to do the work of 3 people and then some. He is such a high execute that he could do that. They do video work and live streaming productions across the nation and even outside the US. He managed all of that. He also would do work on the side, help with the house and grocery shopping, made sure to spend time with family and go on fun outings. And has and will always support me in anything I do. Bizvision is a small start up company and he became frustration with their choices and lack of background or understanding of how to move the company forward. Plus their ears weren't very good at taking advice. The company started to lose big clients and was struggling. He knew there was no way it was going to last so he started looking for a different job. He ended up finding a new job but I'll leave that for another post. It's been quite the year and he definitely learned a lot at Bizvision. He learned he likes being a leader and managing projects. Started studying for the PMP to be a project manager. He learned he doesn't only like video. It was a great first real job out of college and we are grateful for it. 

Since we've moved in there has been a lot of movement in regards to our ward and wards splitting, new stake etc. It's to be expected as homes get completed and families move in, the ward grows and we split. The last split we created a brand new ward and I was called to Primary Chorister. Want some advice? If there is a calling that you feel you never want or could never do and would dread getting... Don't say it out loud. Don't mention it. Don't think about it. Because you will get it. A little bit before the split I was telling my sister in law that if there was one calling I would consider turning down..it was primary chorister. My mom had that calling and the prep and planning and the exhaustion of actually doing the calling.... man, no thank you! Then bam! I was called...and I didn't turn it down. We were brand new...there was not one calling in place. Everyone was new. They needed help. My friend and neighbor was called as Bishop and had to fill every single calling... in a matter of weeks! So I said yes. It has been challenging. and I can honestly say I am not the best or the most entertaining but I try. I have had some trials this past year that if I didn't have this calling...the calling that you won't have a list of volunteers to sub for you...(Thank you to the two men in our ward who have actually Subbed for me!!) I would have missed church, stayed home to deal with the trial. but instead I had to go to church, put on a happy face and you know what? I made it through because God helps you through anything. There were times I felt terrible, I was exhausted  but I went to church and sang with these beautiful children. I look back and I can't believe I actually did this calling for almost a year. I survived people! I have also learned a lot of myself and God. It's really been a testimony builder, which I am grateful for. So maybe do say out loud the calling you dread, you might get it and grow from it.