The flowers come from an admirer, but it's no secret

I love spring time. It is a reminder to me that God loves us. That's why He sends us flowers every year. :)

Recognizing Blessings

Here I am with John today, I thought that we were taking a video, but really I just took our picture. But thankfully, he was willing to do the video a second time.

I am not sure why, but John was having a seriously hard time this morning. I jokingly said Seth could take John to school with him :-) after alphabet school, I pretty much had to drag John home, because he didn't want to leave. Then, after a colossal tantrum that seem to last a very long time, I held him in my arms on the couch and talked to him about what was going on. Finally, he gave in and cuddled with me for a few minutes. After a few minutes though, he was fast asleep in my arms. So exhausted. --- It was truly a beautiful moment that I cherish, holding hm in my arms, safe and warm and loved. I know that it can't  always be that way, he will grow up. I am so thankful to have this blessing now. Even though there are tantrums and challenges, it is so worth it being a mother. Just for those glimpses of true joy and peace. 

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John is doing great using the potty! I think he has had one accident this week, and that's it! He has been in underwear the whole time, even at night, and he is telling us whenever he needs to go! This is a very exciting time :-) I am proud of him.

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I am truly loving reading The Book of Mormon again! I have read it quite a few times. And every time I learn new things, or remember important things that I've forgotten. Today I was reading about two brothers, Nephi and Laman. They were both in the wilderness on a journey, for eight years. They were on the same journey, yet they saw it so differently. They both admitted that they had had many trials. Laman saw them through the perspective of pessimism; he complained about it, and said that it would have been better if they had never gone on the journey anyway. That it might have even been better to have died that to go through those trials. He wished for the things of the past, saying that he might have been happy had things been different. I am tempted in times of life that are difficult, to see things this way.

Nephi acknowledges that they have suffered great trials, but he focuses on the fact that they were strengthened by the Lord. He can see how they have grown and developed on their journey through their afflictions when they have relied upon the Lord. He says "so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us"

And he comes to this conclusion:

"And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness."

See The Book of Mormon, first Nephi chapter 17 verse three

I want to see with eyes like Nephi, and to recognize the blessings of the Lord always. We are all on our own journeys through the wilderness of life. And we can choose how view them. I choose to see my blessings. And I am greatly blessed! I'm so thankful for my life, for the lessons God is teaching me, for my loving family and the joy that I have because of them, even when times are hard. God has been so good to us.

We're On Our Way to Morristown!

We found a place to live in Morristown, New Jersey! It costs and arm and a leg to live there, but I talked with an LDS realtor in the area, and she said it is unheard of to find a 3 month lease anywhere for less than $4,000/month, and we found one for $2,000. I am very relieved. Now I am trying to iron out the details, and make all the payments for security deposits and fees. We have to pay $3650 in deposits and fees just to get the key....

But it's in the prime location - 3 miles from Seth's work! So we won't have to buy a second car. He can bike. We won't even have to put our bed in the living room, although we wanted to - to save some money. In New Jersey, if you're a family of 3, you can't rent a 1 bedroom - it's illegal... what's with that? And If you have twin babies of different genders, and you are renting an apartment, it is illegal for them to share a room, even though they're babies! Ok, I'm off my rant. It is what it is, and we have a place to stay, and it looks way nice! So if it's all we could get, I am glad that it is nice, and that we are paying for something good, not something gross or unsafe.

And our apt. is right next to a park with a big playground! There are 2 museums, a bus station, and a train station (that takes you right to Manhattan) within walking distance (even for me! which is saying something...) There are parks dotting the neighborhood. Downtown Morristown is very close by as well, and it looks so quaint with all these little restaurants and shops and flowers. And there is a cemetery about a mile away! I love cemeteries because they are beautiful and full of history! And because I am a geneologist, and I'm just into finding my ancestors, and other people's too. And LA Fitness, my gym is only 11 min away, so I can still swim often, and Seth's gym 3 miles away from our apartment. It's really a great location! --- Can you tell I'm excited for the summer!? It will be great! I'm most excited to see more of Seth in the evenings because he won't have homework for the summer :)

My Little Jacob Marley

John fell down and scraped his chin today. Thankfully it wasn't bad, but it was enough to merit a Band-Aid.John went around the house the wailing quite a bit, even though he wasn't hurt anymore. It was all for show. Perhaps he has duped me, and he has already read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, and he was just pretending to be Jacob Marley. A very convincing performance! He probably just missed his papa, who has night class tonight. He kept asking, "Papa's coming home?"

I sure am proud of this little boy! He went potty at the gym, even while I was in the pool, he just told the workers at the kids club that he needed to go, and he also stayed dry at his friends house today, and he used the potty the entire day, telling me each time he needed to go so, tonight we are going to see what happens if he wears underpants at nighttime. I did put two pairs on him, and one is a very thick padded kind. But I think if I pay close enough attention when he wakes up in the morning, he will probably stay completely dry!

BASF, Seth's Summer Internship in New Jersey

 Well, we finally know where we are going for the summer! We will be in Florham Park, New Jersey. It is the little red section next to Morristown in the map. Seth got an internship with BASF in their leadership development program. He worked so hard applying, networking, interviewing, etc. for internships! It really paid off. This is a wonderful opportunity for us, and we are so grateful. Now we have to find a place to live for the summer! It will be really fun to be in New Jersey, 30 miles from Manhattan. It is very expensive there though (probably $2,000 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment), so we'll probably end up staying in a one bedroom apartment, and putting our bed in the living room, and John in the bedroom! :-)

                    www.basf.com

BASF is the largest chemical company in the world. It is headquartered in Germany, and it's US headquarters are in New Jersey.

More info about BASF here:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASF

On to exciting adventures! New Jersey, here we come!

Book of Mormon 90 Day Challenge

My Brother Trey and I are going to do this Book of Mormon 90 day reading challenge.

You're welcome to join us! I'm excited! It will be awesome to have this experience and deepen my relationship with Trey. I am going to highlight all the times that Christ is mentioned. I am sure it will be hundreds of times, maybe more. I know that The Book of Mormon is true. It has blessed my life, and I am thankful for it because it helps to clarify the Bible. It does not replace it. Read together, The Bible and The Book of Mormon are the perfect compliment to each other and testaments of Jesus Christ.

"In a meeting with the Twelve Apostles, the Prophet Joseph Smith “told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (History of the Church, 4:461; see also theintroduction to the Book of Mormon)." See BoM Study Guide

One of the modern-day apostles, President Marion G. Romney said:

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1980, 90; or Ensign, May 1980, 67). See BoM Study Guide Ch 1

Here is the Link to the 90 Day Book of Mormon Challenge Chart So you can follow along!

Laughter Helps to Heal My Soul

John couldn't ask for a better father. With Linda K. Burton, I "honor husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, and uncles who know who they are and who are doing their best to fulfill their God-given roles as described in the family proclamation, including righteously presiding and providing for and protecting their families." She continues, "It must be difficult, at best, for covenant men to live in a world that not only demeans their divine roles and responsibilities but also sends false messages about what it means to be a “real man.” One false message is “It’s all about me.” On the other end of the scale is the degrading and mocking message that husbands and fathers are no longer needed. I plead with you not to listen to Satan’s lies! He has forfeited that sacred privilege of ever becoming a husband or father. Because he is jealous of those who have the sacred roles he will never fill, he is intent on making “all men … miserable like unto himself”!^8"Brothers and sisters, we need each other! As covenant-keeping women and men, we need to lift each other and help each other become the people the Lord would have us become. And we need to work together to lift the rising generation and help them reach their divine potential as heirs of eternal life. We could do as Elder Robert D. Hales and his wife, Mary, have done and follow the proverb “Thee lift me and I’ll lift thee, and we’ll ascend together.”^9" ("We'll Ascend together", General Conference Apr. 2015). Her talk truly helps me to want to be more kind and gentle to Seth, to speak more words of appreciation and encouragement to him, and to remember more often how blessed I am.Click on the link above to learn more about how important and wonderful righteous men in our lives are.

Seth is such a great papa! John loves playing with him. It is so great when daddy is home! Fathers are so important. I love to hear when Seth makes John laugh. This is a truly beautiful sound :) It feels me with wonder, peace and joy.

And, if you were wondering why John has no pants on, it's because he's wearing big boy underpants with airplanes on them. Skipper from "Planes" to be exact. And he's stayed dry all day. It was a much better day today! Things are looking up!

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I taught a family history class today at a women's conference for my church.  www.familysearch.org is an amazing free resource that helps people find records and documents and information about their family, and you can also now upload photos, stories, documents, even audio of their voices, to preserve family memories. I love finding out more about my heritage, and it is so exciting to see people light up as they learn more about where their grandparents came from and their great-grandparents, etc. Please let me know if you are interested in learning more!

And please bless Mama

Today started very rough. We have been potty training John, and the first couple days went great! And then everything fell apart. This morning, after four accidents in a row, and spending half the morning sitting in the bathroom with John (he would wait to be in his underpants 10 min. after I took him off the potty...) I was at my wits end, and in tears. I am grateful for my loving heavenly father who is patient with me even when I lost all patience.

I called my friend Kyla, and even though she was at the zoo, she took a few minutes to help me calm down, give some empathy and just listen.

Then, my sweet husband acknowledged what a hard day I was having, and did me a favor, by finding out that we will be spending the summer in Florham Park New Jersey. (so we can finally try to find an apartment!)

I was giving John a snack before nap time, and as I helped him say the prayer, I prompted him to say "Please bless Abuela" (who was on an airplane, we  miss her so much already!) and John , of his own accord said "and please bless Mama...and Papa." 

I started crying again, happy tears this time. It was like a light, a bean of sunshine bursting through the clouds. It was a sweet moment, God's answer to my prayer to be patient with John and to just love him.

After snack, we snuggled up to read a book, and John almost fell asleep in my arms. He was so tired! I decided not to give up, I would try again after naptime. Amazingly enough, after naptime, he didn't have a single accident for the rest of the day. And went potty four times. He was much better behaved in the afternoon, and so was I. My sweet husband came home, and really held to lighten the mood, and help us get back on track.

We will not give up!

H the Horse huffs

Today we got to do H the horse for alphabets cool at our house. We were very happy to have Abuela here to learn with us! She's a veteran of teaching kids to read. John had a blast signing, hurrying, playing, coloring, ad eating honeydew with his friends Myrna and Bentley. When I told John who was coming to our house, John asked, "How about Joshua?" He knows who his classmates are :-) my poor Joshua is sick. We missed him!

John enjoyed and H sandwich for lunch. I had a lot of fun drawing and coloring the pictures for our flashcards, and Jeena has great kindergarten handwriting :-)

He Giveth Power to the Faint

Today, I was reading one of my favorite passages in Isaiah (Isa. 40:26-31). It always helps me have hope and remember that the Lord will give me the strength that I need, and that although I am as a grain of the sand in the sea, He knows my name and my concerns, and He loves me. I know He loves you the same way!

26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

 27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

 28 ¶Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that theeverlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searchingof his understanding.

 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew theirstrength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Fun with Abuela Jeena

Outside the Columbus Ohio Temple after church

John Wagner (age 2 1/2) and Abuela (Gma) Jeena Wagner

Grinding the wheat on the back patio and getting all messy!

Inniswood Gardens Metropark

We took family pictures today. We had a great time with Seth's mom Jeena who arrived last night! And Kyla Shurtz and family were very fun to spend time with! thanks Kyla! We're very excited to see how they turned out! 

Saving worms

I like to save worms. Whenever there's a rainstorm, and worms are washed onto the sidewalk, I always want to save them if I can. I don't like to touch them with  my fingers if I can help it. But worms are worth saving. The soil needs more and more worms to keep it healthy. Today Seth said, healthy soil, healthy food. I absolutely agree. There was a huge worm in the road behind my car, and I put it on the grass so that I could find the soil again. John and I our neighbors, Stella, and Elsie were as intrigued as John!

Motherhood is a Blessing

John and I went to the conservatory again today. We both really love it there. We got to explore a lot more of it today. And we were thankful to be able to roam around, because it was pouring outside. John was so thrilled to see all the butterflies. It is a humbling thing to be able to learn with a child. To be able to see things with wonder as John does is a great gift to me. I love being a mother. It is my dream job; it is the hardest one I could have chosen. But it is also the one that brings the most joy and the one in which I can do the most good.

Go Duke!!

Seth's a huge Duke Basketball fan, and so am I because he is, and I like Coach K. We really enjoyed watching them win the championship tonight! (Although we like Wisconsin too, and they sure worked hard. I hate how the camera men follow the defeated team at the end to capture their tears. Huge wins always come with huge losses for someone. That's why basketball often makes me feel sad. Second place isn't celebrated) but if it's anyone, we're very happy it's Duke! I like having activities to do with Seth that we both like. I'd have to say that he's gotten me into football and basketball, surprisingly enough :)

Easter and General conference weekend 2015

It is hard to believe that Easter and General conference weekend are already over! We had such a nice visit with my parents. My mom and dad drove out for the weekend. Unfortunately they hit a pothole on their way here in the pitch black of the night in Indiana. I know the Lord was watching out for them. Although their tire busted, they were safe, and godsend very nice construction worker who is on his way home. to help them change their tire, his name was Tim. He refused any payment, and said that he would hope someone would stop and help if his parents were in need.

John absolutely adores his grandparents. And they adore him. They had so much fun playing and reading books, and snuggling.

John has filled out his first sticker chart for going potty. He has been using the potty consistently for a very long time, but we are preparing to try to have him start using the potty all the time soon, so we started doing the sticker chart, and he really likes it. I have decided against doing treats when he goes potty, but, we are doing stickers, and it seems to be a good reward that he looks forward to. And then I thought it would be good to have a prize or something fun for him to play with when he fills out each sticker chart. Someone was giving away a dragon costume, and John recently saw the movie "How to Train Your Dragon," and he loves it, and subsequently he really likes dragons right now. It took him a little while to warm up to it, but he loved wearing the dragon costume, and my mom was wearing drapey poncho, and John thought that looked kind of like Dragon wings, so if they pretended to fire around the house together. It was so fun.

  John loved eating with my parents, here is John and grandpa eating a yummy bowl of ice cream made with just strawberries, bananas and a little almond milk.

My mom and I went outside with John to our patio, to drive with sidewalk chalk on our patio walls. And John really enjoyed that, but maybe not as much as my mom and I did. :-) I tried to draw the temple, and John knew what it was, so it must have been recognizable. My mom said it was like a Monet. She's a little biased though since I'm her daughter. 

We enjoyed a delicious Easter dinner together on Saturday, and on Sunday, we had a nice breakfast together, and talks about Jesus and told John the Easter story. My parents got him a really nice board book that tells the Easter story into your old language, and we looked at lots of pictures of Jesus. John seem to understand that Easter is about Jesus. And he went around all day saying happy Easter!

We also had a blast doing a little Easter egg hunt with John. He carried his basket around the living room, and picked up the eggs and put them in his basket. We filled them with little toys and balloons to be blown up, and some dairy free chocolate chips and pretzels. He thought it was the coolest. And my parents got done some really fun toys that he loved. Especially a ninja turtle top that he loves to spin.

During our visit, my dad said that as far as men and husbands go, the bar really isn't that high these days, and Seth is way above the bar and even to the moon. He told me I couldn't have done better, and I absolutely agree with him. Both of my parents said that Seth was a wonderful husband and father, and thank him for taking care of me. I am so grateful that my parents respect him and know what a good man he is.

My mom loves the food that I cook almost all the time, and I really appreciate that. And my dad and I had a really nice conversation about nutrition and health issues, and I am really glad that we can talk about a subject that is so important to me, and share ideas and thoughts. My dad asked me some questions about wheatgrass, and why I do the things that I do. And I truly appreciated him listening to me and my story. It is okay that we have some different ideas, we can still discuss them together, and learn from each other, and support one another. I love my parents very much, and I am grateful for them. We are so blessed.

    

It was excellent watching general conference this weekend. If you missed it, or if you watched it and want to watch it again or listen to it or read it, just go to LDS.org/generalconference 

There were so many talks that were direct answers to my prayers, and many that I truly needed that have been concerns of mine, and that maybe I haven't even prayed about yet. God knows us perfectly. He knows what we need and he has restored his true gospel to the earth again, and there are living prophets and apostles to teach us his will and to guide us through this difficult world. I am so grateful to know that and I'm very thankful that I can teach that to our children. John is doing so well learning the gospel.

He has memorized the names of all of the apostles and the prophet. he knows them all by their faces, and he identified all of them the moment they came to the podium. I am one proud mama.

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

Celebrate Easter by remembering the most important person that ever lived. www.mormon.org/easter

And watch General Conference at www.lds.org to learn more about Jesus and receive guidance for your life.

I love general conference!

I am amazed again, although I should not be surprised that in the first two sessions of conference, so many of my concerns were addressed. I received answers to my prayers, and the guidance that I need to overcome my own personal trials. There is something in general conference for everyone. I am so thankful that God still speaks to his children, and I am so excited to listen to the prophets voice tomorrow. You can too at www.LDS.org

His Sacred Name

I am so grateful for my savior who suffered and died for me, who atoned for my sins and weaknesses and struggles so that He could help me on my journey through this life, and who made a way for me to repent and return back to Him and my Father in Heaven with my loved ones. I can't think of a better way to celebrate this joyous season of Easter, and the most important event in the history of mankind than to listen to God's living prophet and apostles in General Conference. I always feel uplifted, inspired, strengthened and renewed with a sense of purpose and a determination to be the woman God wants me to be when I watch conference. You can watch too at www.lds.org. Check it out. It will be going on today and tomorrow, and you can watch it online afterwards as well. You'll be glad if you do smile emoticon Happy Easter! He is Risen!