The Meaning of Easter

This past week I have been trying to get Leighton into the Easter spirit. We had so much fun with egg hunts, an Easter party, and dyeing eggs. If any holiday would be her favorite, it would be Easter. Ever since this girl was little she has had an obsession with eggs. Getting to play with them and find them has been a dream come true. We might just end up doing egg activities for the rest of the year. P.S. I totally made that adorable gold egg shirt she has on. I am serious when i say we were in the hippity hoppity easter bunnyrific spirit.

I was so excited for all the holiday eggcitement that i didn't spend much time talking to her about the real meaning of Easter at all. Okay to be honest i didn't spend anytime talking about it. Sarah challenged me in her last letter to do the #becauseofhim on instagram, which i did and I loved my small moments i took each day to reflect on all that i have been blessed with because of the savior.

Last night i laid in bed and thought about what i wanted to post about Easter. What it really meant to me, what spending all this time with the girls means, and why we celebrate this blessed holiday. I really lost sight of what is important, not that dying ombre eggs and dipping strawberries to look like carrots isn't...but the resurrection of Jesus Christ just is so much more. This holiday is really about our savior and that he died for us and lived again. I am somewhat amazed at how there are two huge holidays devoted to a man that not everyone believes in but almost everyone seems to celebrate. How wonderful is the message that seems to be hiding along with all those eggs? 

If you have not seen this movie yet, provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, then please watch it. I could not describe in a better way what is real and possible because of this man and his actions that we celebrate on this Easter Sunday.

Sunshine and Smiles

The Sun finally decided to grace us with its presents and not only has it been bright and sunny, but it has been warm too. I feel like all this nice weather deserves one big happy dance. Luckily Leighton agreed and spent the afternoon dancing away in the backyard. 

Its amazing how good a little sunshine is for the soul. Last week i started feeling really down on myself and couldn't seem to shake the creeping depressed feelings that were coming over me. Luckily Monday came with a big yellow circle in the sky, a morning run, lots of positive instagram posts and most importantly happy baby smiles. It was a great recipe for some serious low self worth blues. I am not exactly sure why i have felt this way lately but i really am glad that this week has been so much better. 

I love the feeling of sunshine on my face, the sound of the girls laughing, and the sight of my beautiful daughters enjoying  a bright and sunny day. I hope this weather stays, i hope my positive mood stays (im trying very hard to keep it) and i hope my girls never stop smiling. 

Motherly Advice {Love More}

Earlier this week a friend told me how horrible she felt for snapping at her daughter. I had to Laugh, has she ever met Leighton? The poor girl gets snapped at daily. Honestly we are lucky if I don't shut myself away for a moment so I don't throw her across the room. 

I told her welcome to the club of Toddler moms and didn't think much of it. Until last night. I cuddled with Leighton and thought for a long time about the difference in Leightons good days and bad. I thought about  how i compare my children and its not fare that i do. Then i thought about how Kaden and I feel about our place within our families. 

I hate to admit it, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I just need to love more. Both of my babies are loving  and sweet, just in different ways. To communicate with Leighton successfully i need to do it in a loving manor, but in a way that she considers loving, not me. I really need to read Love Language book again and figure out exactly what hers are. But for now Instead of being angry or fighting with her, I am going to work on teaching her and letting her know how absolutely loved she is. 

This doesnt only work for toddlers going through their terrible twos though, love is something everyone wants to feel. Maybe your having a rough time with your spouse, a sibling, or friend. Just make sure they know how much you love them. It never hurts to love more.

Life is Beautiful

As I stood in my living room this afternoon, bouncing Emersyn to sleep I felt overwhelmed with a feeling of comfort. For that brief moment I knew I was doing exactly what I am meant to do.

Ever since I returned home from Nashville I have felt a little lost and out of place. Camille and I decided that it was best if she was the sole owner of the store. I am happy with the decision we made but it doesn't make it any easier. For the past year it has been all I have thought about, worked on and dreamed of. I even forgot I was pregnant because I was so focused on the store. What an adventure the past year has been. I have grown in ways i never knew i could and learned so many things that will help me in any direction i decide to go from here.

Since we won't be moving I feel a need to really find my place here in Utah. To make friends and feel at home with where we are. Hopefully this will be easy for me. I have started planning a redo of our entire house. Last year we spent several months making it ready to sell, now I'm going to take time to make it a place we would like to live.

I am dreaming of new endeavors, planning big things for our future and truly focusing on the two sweet spirits I am blessed to call my daughters. Every day has seemed special and like something was missing at the same time. In my quiet moment earlier i realized for the first time that i didnt feel a need to check my pocket for the store phone. Simple, yet comforting. I have the opportunity to be a mother. I have always wanted to be successful in whatever profession i ended up in. I never only wanted to be a mom. Now i can see how much i misunderstood the role of a mother and how getting to only be a mom is one of the greatest blessings any woman can be given.

Devoting my time to my home, my husband and my daughters is fulfilling. It is not always easy. I need a lot of practice in it. But being home and completely focused on my family truly allows me to see just how beautiful life really is. 

Motherly Advice {Being a Holy Woman}

A couple of weeks ago I read the most eye opening little book. Now if you aren't religious don't go running when I say the title is How to be a Holy Woman. This book fell on my head (literally) around Christmas time when I was looking for gifts for a few of the special women in my life. My mother in law passed it on to me after she finished with it. Basically it was about asking yourself what holiness means and how to help yourself to become a holier person.

What did I take from it? What are my priorities? Do i focus on them? How can I use my time for better rather than for useless things. 

I realized if I am going to be better I need to be present in my daughters lives, I stay home with them but it is so easy for me to stick them in front of the tv and focus on the home, work, and working out. While those things are great too they are not what is most important. I need to take time to focus on my childrens needs. 

I also need to work on supporting my husband. I have talked about this a lot. Lately I have felt very upset with how severely under paid he is. I tell him constantly to ask for a raise, his job doesn't appreciate how hard he works, and that they'll never let him move up where he is at. (Even though it's all true) I need to stop. I need to let him know he is a hard worker, that I appreciate how hard he works for our family and that if he is happy with what he does, then I am as well. 

Being a wife and mother is not always easy. I tend to feel like I'm always trying to "keep up". This is the last thing I am going to be working on. If I want to be holier or just better in general, I need to quit comparing myself to others and measure myself only against my past self. Have I improved from where I was a year ago? I'm not sure. But i plan to track my progress this way from now on.

Now on to my advice to you. What do you think a holy woman would do? Are you doing those things? Are you truly striving everyday to be better? If not, then make your own list. Put what you feel is most important at the top and start there. Everytime you feel that slight question in your mind whether what you are doing is right or not ask yourself will this make be a better person, is this what a holy woman would do? If not, change your course of action. I promise it helps. So far it has helped me to be calmer, to enjoy my children more and to see how simple life can be and still feel fulfilling.