Snow!

I started putting Brynn's hair in little pony tails. She gets a kick out of them and whenever she thinks about it she always says the word, "Pony tail." It's pretty cute.

I had to take a picture of Caleb next to our huge piles of snow that has been building up from all the driveway shoveling. It's hard to imagine piles like these ever melting.

Here's a few stories from the past week or so:

• On Sunday the kids are always crazier than normal. After Brynn's nap the kids were so fussy. At one point I took away a dirty utensil from Caleb and he started crying. After 30 seconds or so he asked, "Why was I crying?" Then again in a more distressed voice, "Why was I crying?" Silly children.
• Last week we met Derrick for dinner since he was going straight from work to BYU. While there Brynn saw a man and called him Grandpa. It did look a lot like Grandpa, he had the same jacket as grandpa, similar hair, glasses. I told her it wasn't Grandpa but she kept looking at him and calling him Grandpa. Poor girl, I hope she doesn't think Grandpa was ignoring her.
• Tonight at dinner We had some whole wheat bread Grandma made for us. Brynn loved it and had seconds. Caleb barely touched it. I told Caleb Grandma made the bread. Then I asked him if he liked the bread Grandma made. He looked to the side, and a totally conflicted look came on his face. I think he didn't want to say he didn't like it because he knew the grandma he loves so much made it. It was actually really cute. I was glad he didn't want to hurt her feelings, another good trait of Caleb.
• At the end of church I was picking up the kids. Brynn first then Caleb. As Caleb was walking out of his class his teacher handed him four Gummi Bears. Brynn saw them and said, "Gummi Bears." Caleb, without even thinking about it, carefully put two right into Brynn's hand. No thought of selfishness at all. I was never that way as a kid. I looked out for number one, still catch myself doing that sometimes. I am so grateful Caleb thinks of others.
• Directly north of us is an NSA Data Center. Caleb asked what the building was. Derrick explained it's where lots of computers are for storing information. Caleb said, "So when people don't have a computer they go there to get one." We tried to explain that it was just there to hold information, but I think that concept is a little over his head. I love how he always tries to decipher what things mean.

Shelves and Food Storage

The past two weeks we've been working on our food storage shelves and a light for the food storage room. We have had the shelves up for a few months but we needed to secure them in. That required buying a hammer drill to get through cement. We also put in an extra light which allowed Derrick to learn a little electric work. Let's just say it took a lot of work and a few failures before we had it all done.

 We took all the food off the shelves to do our work. When it was time to put it back Caleb loved helping. I would show him what food to get and where to put it. He would go back and forth and keep working until it was all back on the shelf.
At one point I said to Derrick that we should get a step stool for the room. Caleb heard me and said, "We could use the stool from my bathroom." I told him that was a good idea. He left the basement and a minute later he came back with his stool. He used it while he was putting food back. It was so cute!
We felt really strongly that we should build up our food storage this month. We made multiple trips to stores to get long term and short term food. We had family home evening lessons on food storage. Now when you ask Caleb why we have food storage he will say something like this, "In case the stores don't have food we can go to our basement and get some. Or if we don't have money, we will still have food." He always says both of those reasons. He understands things so well.

Bath Time and Stories

It's been a while since I've done a bath time post. I think bath time pictures are so cute so I took some today.

 Stories from the week:

• All of our electronics are breaking. My phone doesn't work with the SD card in. Derrick's phone reboots as much as twice a day taking away all the apps and messages he had. The computer needs a new hard drive. The X-box's power button is broken and you can only turn it off by pulling out the cord. And there's probably at least one more thing I'm forgetting. Anyways, this week Caleb was watching Netflix on the lap top and the mouse pad stopped working. Caleb said, "Everything is broken. Daddy needs to fix everything!" We are just as frustrated as he is.
• Paul and Lynne came and watched the kids Friday night so Derrick and I could go on a date. When I told Brynn that Grandma and Grandpa were coming over she said, "Kent?" I told her no Kent wouldn't be there. She said, "Lisa?" She loves her aunts and uncles!
• I was making a dress for a niece that will be born in June. Caleb asked what I was doing and I told him I was making a dress for his cousin. I asked if he remembered her name, since we had told him before what her name was. He said, "June?" So cute! He did remember something I told him. Then he looked at me and asked, "Did they pray to have a baby?" I told him I'm sure they did. I then told him Uncle Scott and Aunt Julianne are praying for a baby too and asked him if we should pray for them. He was excited and said, "Yes. I'll pray you help me." We said a prayer right then. There was definitely a sweet spirit at that moment.

Christlike Service

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God." Mosiah 2:17
I have been feeling for months now that I should write this blog post. I don't know why but these thoughts of service I've seen in my life have left me feeling so grateful and inspired. I feel like I need to write them down. One thing that inspired me was this video and how a little service can impact the lives of individuals so greatly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHSkiEeLpTk
Service I've seen:

• This is, by far, the incident that has left the biggest imprint on my heart and it brings me to tears every time I think of it. When Derrick and I got married we moved onto Stanford campus. We were far away from any immediate family or any friends we knew. When I was pregnant with Caleb I thought about the possibility of never having a baby shower because I didn't have anyone near us that would throw one for me. I would cry many nights thinking about that. I even prayed that there would be someone who would give one to me. One month my visiting teacher asked me if she could give me a baby shower. (In the LDS church each woman is assigned to visit another sister and assess her needs and the needs of her family). I was overjoyed that someone cared about me enough to do this act of love for me. This experience reminds me of the quote, “In the performance of our responsibilities, I have learned that when we heed a silent prompting and act upon it without delay, our Heavenly Father will guide our footsteps and bless our lives and the lives of others. I know of no experience more sweet or feeling more precious than to heed a prompting only to discover that the Lord has answered another person’s prayer through you.” --President Thomas S. Monson. I know that my visiting teacher acted on a prompting from the Holy Ghost and did indeed answer my yearning prayer.
• Similar to the above story when Caleb was born we didn't think we would have anyone to come visit us at the hospital. But a couple from church, our parent's age, came on Easter morning to get a look at our less than a day old little boy. We felt so loved that our friends would come, with flowers, just as our own family would. It was nice to feel loved at a time that was so special to us.
• The first Christmas we were married we went to visit Derrick's family in Utah. Derrick's mom had a operation just a few days before Christmas. The neighbors brought so many meals that their refrigerator was overflowing. The next door neighbor and her son shoveled snow from their driveway. Others stopped by just to make sure she was doing alright. There were 6 other adults in the house but that didn't matter because those people's hearts were so full of the spirit of Christ that they wanted to help when they knew there was a time of need. I love the example of those loving neighbors.
• A few months ago Derrick's family was all meeting at BYU campus at the Cougar Eat to have a birthday dinner for Derrick's dad. Derrick was already at campus with recruiting stuff for his work so I had the kids by myself. As I was walking up to the door to head in I was wondering how I would open the door because I was holding Brynn, the diaper bag and a cake, with Caleb walking by my side. A young man walked out and was already a good 6 feet past the door when he noticed me. He immediately turned around and held the door for me.
• On a similar note, when Derrick and I were dating we were driving in Derrick's roommate's car. Derrick was in the passenger seat and I was in the back. We past someone on the opposite side of the road whose car stopped working at a stoplight. Derrick immediately pointed it out as his roommate simultaneously turned the car around. They helped push the stuck car out of the road. Both this example and the one above is another great lesson to me: turn around! How often if we pass someone will say, "Oh well, it is too late, someone else will help." No, if we see someone in need we should not take pause but turn to help immediately, the Savior would.
• A week ago I dropped Derrick off at BYU for another recruiting thing he had going on. I took the kids to the playplace at McDonalds while we waited for Derrick to be done. It was a snowy evening and the roads were very slick. When Derrick was done we went to pick him up. On an uphill turn I was headed for I had to stop because the car in front of me couldn't get up the hill because the tires weren't sticking to the road, the car kept sliding. After a minute a car stopped behind me and three collage aged boys hopped out of their car and pushed the one stuck in front of me. After they got the car around the turn they walked back to their car and as they passed me one of them gave me a thumbs up and mouthed smiling, "You'll be ok." I knew I would be. If my car didn't make it around the turn, they would be there to assist me. How great it was to know that. When we have a problem in our lives don't we want to know that we'll be ok? If someone is there to help us, we feel so much relief.

I am so grateful for so many Christlike examples of service. It has blessed my life and helped me to see what I need to do to love and care for others just as the Savior wants me to do. I pray that I can do better because I know I am so far from where I need to be. My instincts aren't so quick to serve, I have to make a conscious effort to help. I so often find myself rationalizing and pausing and I am trying to get around that. I am so thankful there are so many good examples for me to follow. I also have faith that through my daily scripture study I will start naturally being more Christlike because His words will be at the center of my being. I love Christ and often find myself getting so emotional about the sacrifice he made for me and everyone on the earth. I know He lives and we will live again too with everyone we love. How grateful I am for a testimony of Christ and the happiness and hope it brings to my life.

Funny Kids

We were driving in snow and Caleb said, "They put salt and garlic salt on the ground so cars don't slip." Later, I wanted to see if he would say it again and I asked him what they put on the road so cars don't slip. His response, "Salt and pepper." The roads around here need a little seasoning.
Brynn has been in the stage for a while where she pulls out everything from cabinets. This week she was getting into one too much and I gave her a time out with her hands on the wall and we counted to twenty. As soon as it was over she ran back to get into the same cabinet with a big smile on her face. I told her she had to have another time out and she ran straight to the wall, put her hands on it and said, "One, two, three, four, ten!" I don't think I'll use that method of punishment for a while, it's not a punishment at all to her, she loved it!
Last week we went to a volleyball game with Derrick's family. Brynn saw a guy next to us with some popcorn. Her eyes locked on it, then she looked at me and said, "Get it."
Brynn also discovered a stuffed animal she's had since she was born that a girl I taught piano made for Brynn. Brynn has called it a kitty, mouse and a bunny. Once she even said it says "ribbit." Whatever animal she thinks it is, she loves it. She wants to sleep with it and take it with her on our errands.

We are also back to pre-school and music class. The kids love getting out again. Though, this upcoming week I am dreading going anywhere because the highs are supposed to be in the teens. I'm not ready for this cold weather!

Christmas in San Diego

We spent a week with my family for Christmas. Christmas morning was so exciting for Caleb. He got a wooden train set (to go with his other one), tools, a car transporter, a toy vacuum, cars, books, hot wheels tracks and other stuff. He keeps asking me when the next Christmas is, we think he got enough toys for 2 Christmas'.

Brynn wasn't excited about presents this year. She had no interest in opening them and she never stays focused on any toy for very long.

We visited my grandparents in Huntington Beach. We also saw my Aunt Michele, Uncle Tom, Jodie and Brent. It was fun to talk with them again. My grandma gave Brynn these cute sunglasses with a hat:

Derrick and I had a one night get away to the Hyatt in downtown San Diego. It was right on the bay and our room had a great view. We walked around Seaport Village and got pizza there for dinner. In the morning we toured the USS Midway. Derrick was in heaven on the aircraft carrier, he loves stuff like that.

This was so funny, Brynn was dancing to the music Jenna had on.

We also saw my dad's side of the family for Sunday dinner. All of my aunts and uncles, grandparents and more than half of my cousins were there. It was nice to see them again. Caleb had fun playing with my younger cousins.
And here's a random picture of Brynn: