The Nye Family

Emmy was the latest victim of the Hair Cuttery. I took her in to cut some length off...I said I wanted it to rest on her shoulders...and somehow it ended up inches above her shoulders. She has such a cute little face that the length still looks adorable, but the quality of the haircut is awful. She sat so quietly in that big chair. I was very proud of her.

 And here I am about 33 weeks. There are a lot of days that I feel pretty darn good, and some that I feel so huge and tired I just want to cry. I'm pretty sure I've already gained all the weight I am supposed to (really). What are the odds that I'll stay at that number for the next 7 weeks? :)

We spent part of a rainy day playing in the gym and the church. After burning off some energy, we topped  off the afternoon with Rita's. Something was making Jansen laugh so hard...I had to capture the happy look on his face. I love it.

Jansen was one of about 15 students from Candlewood Elementary that had his art displayed at local mall. We headed there one night as a family to see it.

If it's sunny and nice after the kids get home from school, we usually drop everything and head to the neighborhood park. 

A couple months ago I had a moment when I decided I wanted to bake bread regularly. There are so many things pulling me in so many directions, and it's hard to make time for things like this. For some reason, I feel like I want this to be something at the top of my list. I think somewhere in my head my main reasons are because it's yummy and healthy, I want to be using our wheat, and it's a memory I want my kids to have. 

Love this little nugget.

Nate has been in New Orleans for a few days, and he was gone over General Conference weekend. Spills, yelling, fighting, and boredom aside, I feel like the kids did really well this year during the sessions. Jansen never appeared to actually be paying much attention, but on Saturday he said to me that he has know all along that God lives, but he just really realized it that morning. He also told me that he had felt the Spirit while it was on. There are few things he could have said that would have made me happier at that moment. 

You never know just what is going to stick with you from Conference or what will leave a great impression. One talk (I'm too lazy to go look it up right now) that really resonated with me was the woman who spoke about the importance of family home evening, scriptures, and prayers. She made the comment that no matter how messy the house is, those are the things that truly matter. I mean, how simple is that and how many times have I heard it? So many. But for some reason it hit me hard this time, and I have strengthened my resolve to make sure those things happen. 

We have been struggling daily with Jansen's wind anxiety. It is so much more complicated than a fear. It has had an effect on our daily life. Two talks in the Saturday morning session talked about tornadoes. What are the odds?! I was worried it would not sit well with Jansen. But Elder Andersen's talk ended up being an absolute answer to prayers. It was for me. I was filled with the Spirit as I listened to it. He even had a visual during his talk of a tree swaying in the wind...the thing that causes Jansen the absolute most anxiety. Even more than actually being in the wind. He spoke of how trees that grow up in a windy environment become stronger, and the roots are stimulated to grow faster and stronger. Cell structures are created in the trees that actually make the branches and trunk thicker and more flexible to the pressures of the wind. These changes help protect the tree from winds that are sure to return. He talked about how we are infinitely more precious to God than a tree, and he has made our spirits strong, capable, and resilient despite the whirlwinds of life. So many times I have wanted to just take away his feelings and fears and protect him from anything that makes him feel uncomfortable. But that is not the best thing for anyone.

I needed so badly to hear that. I felt strongly that this trial of Jansen's would make him stronger in the long run, and I was reminded of just how much I have matured, learned, and grown over the years when life was particularly hard.