Labor Day Weekend

What a great Labor Day weekend we had this year!

All of Ryan's family came to Utah for a Partridge family reunion. We met up with all his extended family up in Layton on Saturday. We had fun with 2 softball games -- one for the kids and one for the BIG kids :) Aunt Ann had some great games planned at her house later that day -- Hungry Human Hippos, bubble blowing with old water bottles, making pinwheels. The favorite was when all of the kids were given "Partridge Bucks" and got to go spend them at the "store". All 3 of our boys totally loaded up on fun little toys that have kept them entertained for weeks!
That Saturday night we celebrated Brett's birthday with a little Chinese food and by watching the BYU/Oklahoma game. What a great birthday present the team gave to their #1 fan by winning!

Sunday was Elizabeth's baby blessing. It was so great to have all of Ryan's family here to participate in that. When each of the boys were blessed, I just dressed them in a nice Sunday outfit, but not in white. It was fun to get Elizabeth a pretty white dress that she looked beautiful in! We tried to get a family picture of all of us together, but it didn't work out. So we got some of some unhappy brothers and then some of the proud parents :) After church everyone came back to our house for deli sandwiches and ice cream and just hanging out together.
On Monday the big boys got up early to go golfing. This time they tried a new course -- the one in Provo. Ryan woke up not feeling great and almost didn't go. But he was glad he did go when he got the best score! Then we went out to lunch for Stephanie's birthday at a fun little restaurant up in Highland. After the Arizona family headed to the airport, we stayed at Brett and Stephanie's for a little Rock Band. This was the first that the boys and I had played it. So fun! We are now hooked! We will definitely have to get it when we finally get ourselves a Wii someday!

Thanks for a great weekend, family! We love being able to hang out with you!

A Fond Farewell

(warning: this post is long and sappy!)

8 and a half years ago, I called a girl in my ward to order some cleanser and moisturizer. Little did I know how profoundly that would affect my life. She talked to me about me signing up to become a Mary Kay consultant. In my head, I laughed at her . . . "ME?! Are you serious? My makeup looks horrible and I am not an outgoing person. Why would I do such a thing?!"

After learning more from her (I was just being polite), I really liked what I heard. It sounded like a great company, I already new they were fantastic products, and I was only going to be teaching school for 2 more months and needed to have something to occupy my time until Nathan was born 6 months later. So, very nervously I decided to try it out for a few months. I had every intention to quit when Nathan was born.

I dabbled for a while with it. I was by no means amazing at it, but I enjoyed teaching skin care, learning about makeup for myself, and being around other women. 2 years after signing up, I decided to put in more effort and I became a Sales Director. Not for the money (although that has been nice), but because I like being a leader :) and because I love teaching others.

Looking back, it was definitely Divine Intervention that brought me into Mary Kay. The Lord had a plan for me. I have loved so much about my Mary Kay experience! My people skills have grown SO much. I am so much more confident around others. I have been fulfilled these last 8 years as I've set goals and accomplished many of them and been recognized for what I've accomplished. I think everyone needs something to work for and to gain satisfaction from, and this has definitely been that for me!

About the middle of August I started thinking about not being a Sales Director. There is so much I enjoy about it, that I thought it must be postpartum hormones and I tried to ignore the thoughts and carry on as normal. But they kept coming back, so I took it to the Lord. After a lot of prayer and a very clear answer, I stepped down from being a Sales Director the end of August.

I am so grateful to know that the Lord is in charge and that I can trust in Him. This is a very bittersweet decision. I know it is what I am supposed to do now. I am excited to have more time available so that I can be more deliberate as a mother. I am also excited to spend my service energies directed more at my neighborhood and ward.

But there is so much that I will miss! I have built relationships with literally hundreds of women over the last 6 years as their director. Those connections are important to me, and I will miss interacting with those wonderful women as often. I will miss the accolades . . . I have to admit I've enjoyed the recognition I've received. My unit has accomplished many prestigious things over the last few years and I'm glad that I am "going out on top" and feeling proud of what I've done. I hope that I have been a positive influence and a strength to the women that I've worked with.

This may sound strange, but during the week that I was making the transition and passing my consultants off to other directors to take care of them I thought: "This is a small glimpse into what it must be like to know you are going to die soon." My biggest concern was: are they going to be okay without me? Will they remember what I've taught them and go on to be successful in their businesses even though I will not be there to help them directly? Will they know how much I love this company? Will they know I believe in them and use that belief to overcome obstacles and be great?

I will still be a regular Mary Kay consultant, taking care of my customers. But now it is on to a new chapter in my life. I hope that I can be as successful with my family and others who need my love and service as I feel I was with my Mary Kay unit.

Thank you Mary Kay for all the wonderful talents you've helped me develop and the blessings you have brought to me and my family!

Time Flies

Wow! Where does the time go? Elizabeth is already a month old! School is back in session!

Everyone always asks how we are doing with a new baby, and I always say that she couldn't be more wonderful! She usually goes 6-7 hours between feedings overnight, waking up around 4:00-6:00 to eat and then going back to sleep for a few hours. She is usually pretty content while awake. Although recently I think she is becoming more aware, and wants to be held more often. I think she realizes that she is left alone on her blanket a lot, and has decided she wants to be a part of the action! I feel like she is getting so big! I put a dress on her yesterday -- it was the 2nd time she's ever worn it, and the last time was about 2 weeks ago. I can definitely tell it is shorter on her and not as loose this time!

Nathan started 2nd Grade 2 weeks ago. For Kindergarten and 1st Grade, I could definitely tell he took a few weeks to adjust socially and to truly feel comfortable. This year, I think he adjusted immediately. He loves his teacher, and he thrives on having the structure in his day that was missing over the summer. The school had a "Character Counts" assembly earlier this week where they focused on Friendship. He was the boy in his class that received an award for being a good friend. With it being only a week into the school year, I thought he was randomly picked, but later he told me a story of how he helped some of the kids stop fighting on the playground. I was so pleased to hear that all the Home Evening lessons and scripture readings are actually sinking in and being applied!

Benjamin started Kindergarten last week. He has been so excited all summer to be in Kindergarten, and he has loved every minute of it. I love his enthusiasm to do his homework every day, and to do his reading. At an assembly he learned of the school program to read 60 books in honor of Provost's 60th anniversary. Later in the assembly they recognized a 6th-grader for reading 105 chapter books. When I talked to him later about reading his 60 books, he said with a huge smile, "No. I want to read 105!" He, too, was chosen as 1 of 2 students from his class to be recognized for Friendship. I've observed him enough in Primary to know that Benjamin is quiet and does not draw a lot of attention to himself, and so I am pleasantly surprised that he was selected after only being in school a total of 3 days!

Joshua is no longer my little boy. He's pretty independent when it comes to playing with friends -- he and the twins next door rule the neighborhood in the morning when their brothers are gone! He insists on pouring his own juice or milk, even when it is too full, and he is the best bed-maker in the house! Now if we could just get him to potty train!! So far he has done really well during the day when it is just me and him (and a sleeping Elizabeth). He plays well on his own, and he is usually pretty cooperative on errands.

Life is good -- we are so blessed!