I am feeling so grateful for several things this week that I would like to share.
1. I'm grateful that my child is now sleeping through the night. She dropped her 5 am feeding this weekend, and it is so wonderful to get that extra bit of sleep. She has also started taking normal-length naps. I feel so much more productive during the day, and Madeline is happier. It was definitely an answer to my prayers.
2. I'm grateful for the chance to hear Elder Bednar speak in our chapel yesterday. I felt like his message was directed at my family. It was just what I needed to hear. I loved his straightforwardness and the personal experiences he shared. I'm glad I was able to hear most of the talk, even though Madeline had decided by that time that she was sick of being at church. I left feeling renewed and inspired to be a better wife and mother. I am enjoying my responsibilities a little bit more today, because "happiness is not the absense of the load, it is packing the right load". I felt such a sweet spirit as we sang the closing hymn. I found special meaning in the words of the verses we sang, so I will include them here. Take a minute to read them, even if you've sung it a hundred times.
How Firm a Foundation
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
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In every condition - in sickness, in health,
In poverty's vale or abounding in wealth,
At home or abroad, on the land or the sea -
As thy days may demand, so thy succor shal be.
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Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
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The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake!
3. I am grateful for a forgiving husband, who was not angry at me for not using the gym membership I had signed up for a month ago. He agreed to let me cancel the membership and buy a jogging stroller instead, which is what I should have done in the first place.
4. I'm grateful that the weather is cooling off here in Texas. We went for a run this morning before Scott left for school (with our new stroller that I love) and it was so beautiful. The air was crisp and clear. Madeline and I also spent some time outside in the grass this afternoon for a much needed break from our apartment.
5. I'm grateful that Scott has finished Part I Boards. His exams were last Friday and Saturday. He studied extrememly hard and I think was well prepared. We'll get his scores in a few weeks, and I hope all of the preparation pays off. I am looking forward to spending more time with my sweet husband.
Madeline turned 7 months old last Friday. This milestone in particular has made me realize how fast she's growing up. She changes so much every month. She learns how to do new things everyday. She's having a lot of fun with life now, and making life more fun for me as well. She was playing in the laundry basket a couple of weeks ago, and fell out just as I was taking the second picture. She definitely gets hurt more often than she used to.
Last week we went to the park for a picnic as a family. Madeline loves to be outside. She had a great time digging in the dirt and trying to eat leaves. I pulled leaves and grass out of her hands MANY times as she was trying to put them in her mouth.
Madeline and daddy are getting to be pretty good friends!
She's been pulling herself up to our furniture for almost two weeks now. She's figured out how to take the lid off of her toybox, reaches in, and grabs the toys she wants to play with. This morning she learned how to turn the volume up on our receiver. Daddy will be so pleased! Sometimes she's nothing but trouble! We still love her, though.
