What a fun Christmas!

Christmas is always a fun time but we really lucked out this year.  We thought it would be just as here at home in Maryland celebrating with each other.  We were thrilled to find out that Grandma Jean and Grandpa Rick would be joining us for the holiday. And the special thing was that we got to be with them on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. What more could you ask for than Christmas with your family - from kids to grandparents!  It was a lot of fun. 

With Nathan being one, he had much more fun this year.  And of course, Kathryn loved all the fun little parts of Christmas.  Grandpa Rick had to remind us to set out cookies for Santa (although this year, Santa got yummy gluten free caramel corn and thanks-to-Uncle-Allen organic eggnog).  Kathryn patiently held out for presents until after early church and Paul helping out after the meetings.  With all the waiting, we spent a nice, peaceful two hours opening gifts.  With two kids, you can afford to put together toys right after they open them rather than wait until the end.  Grandma and Grandpa held out through it all.  It was great to have them here!

I loved having Christmas on Sunday this year.  I always want the focus of Christmas to be on Christ and with the holiday being truly on His day, it was much easier to think of Him.  We are so grateful for the miracle it is that we can all change and become better (and therefore happier) because of the strength He gives us.  He really is the best gift we all received this year.

I admit it - I think these are the 2 cutest little kids!

Kathryn reading her note back from Gluten-free Santa.

Kathryn and Grandma Jean (these two were pals!)

Kathryn and Grandpa Rick (sporting his Kathryn t-shirt)

Kathryn awaiting present time in her cute dress

the whole fam

getting in to the 2 hour present opening

A month of huge milestones!

November has been a great month.  Nathan turned one!!!  And Kathryn is potty trained!!!  In the life of a mom, these are huge milestones. 

Nathan is still more content to crawl than walk.  He has a walker that gets him everywhere he needs to go so I probably need to put that away to give him some motivation to venture out fully on his own.  He is "talking" a lot more - communicating is probably a better word.  He does signs for (or responds to) these things: clap, sing, dance, kiss, laugh, smile, brush your teeth, wash your hands, use hand sanitizer (He's our Mr. Clean!).  His current word list is up to two: Daddy and Jesus.  I would say he has good priorities for his age.  :)

Kathryn has accomplished a major feat with potty training.  We are really proud of her and grateful for her cousin Monet's inspiration.  We spent a week in Tennessee, and Monet and Kathryn learned together.  There have been a lot of pink marshmallows earned over the last few weeks. 

Here are some funny things Kathryn has said lately:
     1) "This milk is kind of gross.  I think there's a cobweb in there."
     2) After turning the key on her tricycle, "This helps me know where to go.  It's kind of like a GPS."
     3) Getting dressed for her birthday party, "Does it cover my shoulders?"
     4) Mom: "Do you want the whole banana or a chunk?"
         Kathryn: "Maybe a chunk so Nay (Nathan) can have some."
     5) "I'm not very big because my muscles are just plain."   ???

Thanksgiving was great.  We had Uncle Allen and Aunt Annie come down from Boston to celebrate with us.  Being with family has been a huge blessing for me lately so I was very grateful to have them here and be able to just talk together.  With Annie's genius, we pulled off a very yummy, gluten free Thanksgiving meal.  (Just don't ask about the GF rolls I attempted - the apple crisp made up for this!)

Here are some pictures from the month:

My first attempt at gluten free bread - very poor, very eggy!

Paul wanted a close up to really catch the masterpiece.  :)

Nathan opening presents on his 1st birthday.

Nathan devouring the whole cupcake at his party.  Usually kids stop after the frosting but he ate the whole thing!

What handsome men!

Kathryn and Uncle Allen doing stretches during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Uncle Allen, Kathryn, and Aunt Annie

Kathryn was so, so happy to be with these two.

Something amazing happened to Kathryn when Annie was here.  Kathryn just fell in love with her and wanted to be everywhere she was, watching everything she did.  It was really sweet.  Could I ask for a better role model for my daughter?

Nathan's first attempt at feeding himself.  It is definitely me, and not him, who is holding back the self feeding process.

I couldn't resist including another great picture of these two.

Cute Kathryn wearing her new overalls from Aunt Emily and choosing between which dress up outfit to wear.  Typically she puts on both!

I am so grateful to be a mom and grateful for being able to start again every day.  I have never done something this challenging before.  But the Lord is helping me.  With Paul's loyalty and belief in me and my siblings' consistent, encouraging conversations, I keep going.  People always talk about how it is the difficult things that draw you to the Lord. That is so easy to say until you are the one being pushed to Him!  There is joy in striving to come closer to Him.  Giving up is just not an option.  Once again, this scripture speaks strongly to me right now  (John 6:66-69): 

66  From that time many of his ^adisciples went back, and ^bwalked no more with him.

67  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the ^awords of eternal life.

69  And ^awe believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the ^bSon of the living God.

I believe and am sure!

Fun in October

October is a great month with Kathryn's birthday, Halloween, and enjoying the beautiful Fall leaves here in Maryland.  We have been loving it.  We have not had one hard day, not one moment of contention, not one time out all month.  Isn't that amazing!  Yes, the month has been intense but we are really quite happy!

Kathryn turned 3.  Wow!

Nathan's new thing is to sing.  It's basically the cutest thing I've ever heard.

Here are some pictures of what we've been doing...

Kathryn with her backpack getting ready to go to preschool

Nathan with me at Taco Bell on one of our dates during Kathryn's preschool

Kathryn with her birthday cakes - lots of cakes, some gluten free, all milk free  :)

The two buddies at the Pumpkin Patch on Halloween

Kathryn with her Halloween pumpkin

Little guy!

Family is worth it!

I have to admit that having a break when my kids take a nap is very helpful.  Yes, it is hard to be a mother but it is so worth it!  I am so glad that I have each day to try and influence my kids, to strive to love them more, to try and be all the things myself that I am teaching them to be.  I may be hard on myself but I just want to be a mother to them that they can look to with confidence.  I really love my kids even when I want to cry about it being too hard! 
Here they are...

Kathryn's first day trying out the scissors

Nathan on his feet - his favorite position

NATHAN'S UPDATE:

This boy wants to be on his feet all the time.  He is still crawling but his new crawl is on his feet and hands rather than knees and hands.  He pulls himself up to standing all the time and loves to pull on us to stand up (even when I am cutting raw chicken in the kitchen and can't grab on to him to steady him - that was a hard fall).  He is very happy and is getting his two front teeth now.  And of course, he loves his sister like no one else!

KATHRYN'S UPDATE:

Kathryn started preschool with some other kids from church who are her age .  She loves it and wants to go every day - mostly for the snacks and carrying her backpack.  She is also loving to be a mom to her dolls - feeding them, giving them baths in her kitchen sink, and rocking them to sleep.  She is full of energy and is really working hard to funnel her energy in good ways.  I am proud of her as it can be hard to control temper.  She really is doing well.

Here are her latest quotes:

- "You know what you say in Spanish when you're going to bed?  It's called "bedda."  When you go to bed, it's called "gueva bedda."  (She has been really into saying things in Spanish lately - everything ends with an "a.")

- "Mommy, I love Grandma Barbara. She loves me!  I give her a hug and that makes her happy."

- Kathryn's prayer while Paul was changing the oil in the lawnmower:  "When the lawnmower turns on, can you please come and help me not be scared?"  (I have never heard anyone pray with so much sincerity, talking to Heavenly Father as if He were right in the room with her.  It was incredible.)

- "And when I'm big, I can make the breakfast and you guys can say, "Thank you for making this breakfast!"

- "Is the belly button where babies come from?"

- K: "Mom, what are you doing?"

  M: "Eating and loving you."

  K: (in the middle of chewing her gluten free Rice Chex) "Thank you sweetie for loving me!"

- After wetting through her diaper at breakfast: "Multivitamins help my wetty to just stay there and not do anymore."

- K: "Grandma's nice, Mom.  I love her.  I give her hugs and kisses. She loves me."

  M: "Which Grandma?"

  K: "Grandma Lap."

  M: "You mean Grandma DeLapp?"

  K: "Yep, she loves me!"

  M: "She does!"

- While driving to see the temple and talking about faith, I was explaining that even though we can't see Jesus, we know He is there and that is faith.  She was sad she couldn't see Him right now but then was consoled with this thought:   "But when I make good choices, I can go to Him.  And when we read the scriptures at night time, we can feel His Spirit."  (I can't say how great it makes me feel that our hard fought patterns of family scripture study and prayer are penetrating!)

Wow, writing all that made me love my kids even more.  That is the goal of naptime: regain energy and love to give to them until the sun does down.  What a privilege to be a mom!



You have to admit - they're adorable!

I couldn't resist.  These pictures are too cute to keep to myself!  Thank you to Ali for your great photography!!  These were all taken on the grounds of the temple in Sacramento, CA.

Lots of changes!!

Wow, life has been great!  I didn't post in July because we were in California for a month followed by 10 days in Utah.  Paul joined us at the end of the CA trip and then on to UT.  It was great to see so many family members at one time! 

** This was the nightly ritual in California - eating popsicles with Grandpa.  As you can see Kathryn is quite happy that she gets her own.  Don't be fooled by the bib - it still got everywhere!  Towards the end of the trip, we learned to wait until the kids went down before Grandpa went even in the direction of the freezer because Kathryn knew exactly what he was getting...

** This video is a great summary of Nathan's time in California.  First notice his shirt covered in drool.  He was teething the whole time which resulted in one urgent care visit.  Luckily the Dr thought is was just his teeth and nothing else.  His second big milestone was movement - although backwards.  Grandpa Rick's wood floor was the perfect spot for this little guy to move.

Since our trip, life has been very exciting with a lot of new changes.  Here goes...

PAUL - Right before we left for CA, Paul was called into the Bishopric in our ward.  It has been overwhelming and a blessing all at once.  When we got home from our trip, a doctor's visit led us to a big discovery.  Turns out that Paul is allergic to gluten.  Oh the sadness of no more bread!  He had his final batch of cinnamon rolls and now we're on the hunt for good gluten free recipes.  Luckily I'm feeling excited (for him to feel better now that he's off wheat) rather than stressed about this new way of cooking.

HOLLY - Oh how I love to be a mother.  Look at that cute boy's hair.  I love my kids!  And I continue to vote that I have the best husband in the world.  Life feels so full of joy because of family.  I find so much fulfillment when I do things to help Paul and when I just play with my kids.  This role is so wonderful! 
My recent update is another teeth adventure.  It's looking like I'm going to be getting braces.  Aaaahhhh!  And yes, no orthodontic coverage with our insurance unless you're under 19.  This should prove to be quite the adventure over the next 2 years.  :)

KATHRYN - She is as great as ever.  I love this girl.  She loves her brother and plays with him all the time and she is a great helper at home.  Don't worry, we spend our fair share in time out as well.  Kathryn is going to be starting preschool next month!!  We're doing a little group with a few Moms I go to church with so it should be a lot of fun.  Here are some of Kathryn's quotes from the last while:

After seeing a deer run across our backyard with a hurt leg - "I think we should take off his leg with the ouchie and throw it away and get a new one."

While surveying the frosting on the table - "It's gonna be so tasty.  I'm just going to eat it, eat it!"

While looking at Mommy's pictures (one of her favorite activities) - "You are big right now but in those picture things, you were a baby... That's you!  You're cute!"

During almost every meal -
Kathryn: "Who made this breakfast?"
Mom: "I did."
Kathryn: "Thanks Mom for making this breakfast.  I love it!"

After Dad came in from working in the yard all day -
Dad: "Wow, Dad's rancid."
Kathryn: "You're not rancid.  You're handsome!"

NATHAN - This boy is officially on the move.  He has gone from his backward slide in California to a forward earthworm move, getting most of his traction on his stomach.  If there are a lot of toys in his way, then he makes his way through them by crawling on his knees.  It is a happy change for everyone because he is no longer frustrated about not being able to reach things far away from him.  Although now he can reach Kathryn's toys from across the room.  :)  His other development is his constant going from stomach to sitting.  When I go into his room to get him from his nap, he is typically sitting up in his crib.  What a cute sight!  And lately, he wants to be up on his feet, trying to experiment standing on his own.  It is such a fun stage!



So, life has been great.  We're hoping for the best this weekend with Hurricane Isabel on its way.  We're all stocked up so it should be fun.  This hurricane is on the heels of the earthquake we had earlier this week.  When it hit, I thought it was the tree trimmers outside cutting down some enormous tree that was pulling up the roots all through the yard.  It was a very wierd sensation to feel the house shaking and the windows rattling.  It felt like a huge thunderclap that lasted for a minute or two.  Nathan slept right through it but it woke Kathryn up. She came down the hallway quite nervous and said, "Mommy, my windows were shaking. What are those men doing?"  We went outside to see the tree trimmers and they were as perplexed as we were.  Kathryn was convinced that they were shaking our house.  It was really sweet. 

One thing I have definitely felt is how crucial it is for us to be ready not just with flashlights and bottled water but with real, sincere prayer and calm, good scripture study.  When my day includes these two things, life is wonderful.

Arise from the dust!!

It's amazing the things you can learn from yourself - things I had forgotten that I had once learned.  I was reading my journal from a few months ago and it felt like I was learning this for the first time.  It was a thought I had while reading in the Book of Mormon in Moroni 10:31, particularly the part of the verse that says, "And awake and arise from the dust." 

Here is what I wrote (and re-learned today!)  "I think the dust is the world, the daily tasks that I prioritize too often, the getting it done rather than enjoying the process with my kids.  Awake and arise!  Get out of the dust!  It's an interesting mental picture to go from laying down in the dust (having it cover your whole body) to arising and standing up (having dust only touching the bottom of your feet).  There are still tasks and jobs that I need to do but my focus on these tasks compared to my focus on my kids should be like dust on my feet as opposed to dust covering my whole body." 

The most important thing to me is Paul and our kids yet I fill my day with things that aren't focused on them.  Yes it's good to clean the house but I can do that here and there rather than pushing through it all and not taking time to sit at the learning table with Kathryn or play on the ground with Nathan.  If I keep thinking, "Let me get this one thing done and then I'll play," I will run out of time to play.  It struck me when I was at the temple that my kids are getting older and I don't want to realize how precious they are only when they are gone.  Today I can start.  Today I can realize it.  Today I can sit and play.  I don't need to multi-task.  I don't need to always be doing something.  I want to learn to sit, to enjoy them.

Kathryn trying on Mom's new running shoes

Kathryn and Daddy shaving together

Nathan (Nay-Nay) in his bunny outfit

What happens at dinner when Little Guy misses a nap 

At least Strawberry Cakes is making progress with potty training

It's Nathan that really needs potty training.  Yes, that is what you think it is that he's sliding in. 

Reading time - I love this!!  And, Nathan is officially sitting up!!

I love when they can talk!

So, Kathryn got big all of a sudden!  I feel like I often hear people say, "Enjoy them while they're babies because once they can talk, they don't stop...  They're much nicer when they can't say anything...  You won't be able to get them to be quiet."  And on and on.  It makes me sad to hear that because of the JOY of hearing this little girl talk.  Motherhood is so joyful! To hear all the thoughts of a discovering 2 year old - what a privilege!!

Here are some of her latest and greatest:

Seeing a man with a tatoo on his arm...
Kathryn:  What's on his shoulder?
Mom: I don't know. What is it?
Kathryn:  Maybe ink.

The day after visiting our neighbors, Charley and Jeanie...
"Where is Charley and Samuel?"
Two days after...
"Where is Samuel and Jesus?"

Listening to the song, Skip to my Lou...
"It said darlin' like I am a darling."

Seeing a map of early church history sites...
"That's where we live in Stake Conference."

Holding her Book of Mormon closely...
"I'm going to keep it comfortable for the covenants.  So I keep it in my heart for the covenants."  (This was one of my favorites.  I love hearing her string words together that she has heard before and form them into some kind of thought.)

After what must have been a lesson in nursery...
"Nephi had an older brother named Zacchaeus and he went to nursery."

And I LOVE THIS ONE...
"I love this breakfast and I love you too!"

It is so great for me to remember what Kathryn says.  It is my kids themselves that bring me joy as a mom.  Yes, I need a break sometimes, and yes, it is nice when they go down for their naps, and yes, when I went to the hospital to have Nathan I was looking forward to a break from cooking :).  But even with these things being true, I find the greatest joy being right with my kids.  It is being with them and enjoying them that gives me the desire to give myself more as a mom.  And hearing them talk is so rewarding.  So, I think it gets better when they start to open their mouths, not worse.

Finally - a blog!

Yes, the day has at last come that I'm opening my mind up to a blog - meaning, you get to hear all that is in my mind.  You will most likely get a mouthful of motherhood as this is what fills my days and my heart.  I love my husband.  I love my kids.  And I love the Lord.  When I keep these loves alive, I am happy.

So here are my latest thoughts... I was reading in the Bible a little while ago about how Christ had power to give His life; it was not taken from Him.  He was not killed.  Rather, He offered His life.  Jesus Christ chose to give His life.  I also choose to give mine as a mother.  I am not forced to.  Even at 3am, when Nathan cries, it my choice to give myself to him.  And I choose to.  Choosing to give my life is more powerful evidence of my love for my children than if they were "taking" my life. 

I love this scripture: "He who seeketh to save his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."  (Matthew 10:39)