How do you make decisions?

I have the hardest time making decisions. I worry about things in depth and hate to make choices for fear that it is the wrong one. Unfortunately, I married someone that doesn't like to make decisions either. He just has this "faith" thing going that everything works out for the best so why stress about it? I, on the other hand, stress about things until I get physically ill. I awoke this morning at 2 a.m. and laid in bed with things weighing on my mind and couldn't go to back to sleep, so I'm downstairs researching options. If it wasn't 4 in the morning, I'd call people and ask them what they think I should do. That's what I do.
But what I should do...
I should get down on my knees and pour out my heart to my Father in Heaven. Why is that so hard for me?

A testimony builder

Yesterday in church, I attended Sunday School where I was able to feel the Spirit and gain a stronger testimony of Joseph Smith. Chris had Kimball with him in primary so I was alone. It really was one of the first times I was able to concentrate on the lesson. My high school buddy, Blake Barrett, was teaching and had the class discussing some interesting points. What events prepared the world for the restoration of the Gospel? What events prepared Joseph Smith and his family for the events that happened?
I had a realization that the Smith family must have been a very loving and accepting family. They accepted what a 14 year old boy said he saw. But when you read the words written by him, the Spirit testifies that this story is true. I felt the Spirit and know that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ came to visit the boy and restore the fullness of Christ's gospel to the Earth.
These particular verses in Joseph Smith History struck me as so strong. But if you would like to read the whole story, click here.

11 While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
12 Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

So Joseph Smith decides to pray and when speaking his first utter prayer...

16 But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

Home Repair

Many of you have heard the story...
A few weeks before Christmas I was talking on the phone and headed into my bedroom. There I decided that I wanted to have a tub, so I started the water. Carter and Kathryn came running. When I get a tub it is complete with all three of my children climbing all over me. It is actually one of my favorite bonding times. When Chris is gone (which he was this day) it is the best way to keep them entertained without creating a new mess. But I digress...
45 minutes later after a refreshing bath tub, I got the kids in their jammies, and headed out of the back room to throw the dirty clothes down. In the kitchen, propped up in the water dispenser on the fridge is a cup that has been lodged in, making the water run freely out for the entire time I was taking a bath. The cup is full and needless to say my floor is covered with water. Who do I blame, but my dear sweet Kathryn who has recently learned how to get her own drink of water? I curse (just a little) and grab 10 towels to mop up the mess. The water cleans up easily and figure no reason to cry over spilled milk. I head downstairs to deposit the soaking towels and hear this: drip, drip, drip, drip. The water has leaked downstairs and is dripping out of tiny cracks in the ceiling. GRRR!
Well after calling my brother to come help me since Chris was at school, and then calling Chris HOME from school, we realize that the entire supporting beam of the wall is saturated with water. Chris and Ryan drilled several holes and watched water gush out!
Time to call the home owner insurance company! We filed a claim and decided that it was worth paying the $500 deductible because the floor in the kitchen area started to bow and the sheet rock needed to be replaced in the basement.
So here we are replacing the laminate flooring Chris installed barely 2 years ago. The saddest part is 75% of the floor is perfect...no water, no scratches, nothing. So is there anyone out that would want to install laminate flooring in their house? Chris is being real careful as he takes it out and it is in great condition. It's sad to think it might end up in our basement storage because I'm too cheap just to take it to the dump. I think I'm going to list it on Craig's list for a couple hundred dollars.
Lessons learned: Our dear sweet 2-year old has been banned from using the water dispenser nd now I check that the water is off whenever I turn on the bathtub. (Chris wanted to ban me from the bathtub, but I wone that battle). Also, I'm very glad we have the home owner insurance!

The big 3-0!

30 years ago my mother was expecting her 3rd child.
This is the year I will turn 30. (March 21)
So as I set my new year resolutions, I thought more in terms of what I needed to do until I turned 30.
I was inspired by a guy in my ward who wanted to lose 30 pounds before his 30th birthday. When he told me that, I committed to do the same. I'm happy to say that I accomplished the 30 pounds. But there are surely other aspects of my life that need a make-over as well. So I set some goals for my last few months of my 29th year.
So here are a few things that I'm shooting to accomplish over the next 2 months!

1. Read the Book of Mormon(I haven't read the book all the way through since I was in high school. I know that it is true, but I am forgeting the stories and the messages. I've tried before, but usually get through 1st Nephi and quit. Well, I'm still in 1st Nephi, so any encouragement will be appreciated.)
2. 30 days of NO sugar (OK, I realize that this might be a little challenging and I've committed myself to 30 days not 30 consecutive days).
3. Record 30 memories. (I am losing my memories more and more everyday. I really don't understand why. People will tell me stories about myself that I have no recollection about. Don't worry, I don't think I'm repressing some major event. I learned in a human dynamics class that my personality type just lives more in the present than in the past. What a bummer though. So if you have any memories of me, chances are I've forgotten them...I'd love you to share).
4. Teach my kids 30 new things.
5. Write about the 30 most influential people in my life. I wrote the list the other day. It will be hard to limit it to 30 people, I've been blessed to be influenced by many that I love.
6. Go to the gym at least 30 times before my birthday.
7. Scrapbook 30 pages. (My Christmas break got me on a roll...I've already done 20 of them!)
8. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something I want to do.
9. Spend some time with Chris, alone, at least 30 times, even if it is just for 30 minutes.
10. Get Kimball to sleep in his own bed! (We're going on night number 7! YEAH!)
11. Attend the temple at least once. I have to be realistic...I wish I could say 30 times)
12. Read 30 books. (I'm going to have to count the stories I read to the kids at night, because I need to read the BOM first before I read other novels.)
13. Plan a list of 30 books to read. Suggestions?
14. Make a dinner menu of 30 recipes. Suggestions?
15. Embrace the past 30 years and look forward to the next 30!

Our Christmas in pictures

9 HOURS!

Our little darling Bumble slept in his crib last night for 9 HOURS! (Well actually he slept in Kathryn's crib because she now refuses to sleep anywhere but Kimball's crib, but any way...) He slept through the night. 9 months old and we finally committed to get him out of my bed. I don't even think he woke up during the night. It was a great gift to me since I had to go back to school today!

He is such a joy right now. He is a little giggler and loves to watch Carter and Kathryn. He is breaking a new tooth and even though he gets a high fever (102 degrees) he is such a happy little fella.
Y'all remember this age? When they are happy as can be, and then all of a sudden get so frustrated because they can't do what they want to. Kimball will crawl over to a chair, or my leg, or the couch, or anything vertical and try to lift himself up. He usually slips hitting his poor little head several times, before he accomplishes standing up. It is amazing that children survive the ups and downs of the transition of infancy to toddler hood. They really have got the saying down, "If at first you don't succeed...try, try again." They are resilient after a little love and comfort. (As much as the whining and crying gets a little tiring, I'm glad I'm the one he wants to comfort him.) Maybe they can't talk because they know the secrets to life and how to master everything. We really can learn lessons from these wise souls.

Yesterday I had the best indulgence. My mom gave me her appointment with Abby...one of the greatest hair doers. (What are we suppose to call them?) Well I got to close my eyes and have my hair shampooed, colored, and cut...It's been 9 months...so I was very excited to finally get rid of all those split ends. Well...Abby and I were talking about our lives and I asked her how she survived 3 kids under the age of 3. She said that it is all a blur. I've really been thinking about that statement. I really want to remember the simple moments. I want to remember that Kimball bonks his head on the chair standing up. I want to remember that Kathryn calls water "wa-ger" and calls for her brother "Car-ger" whenever she needs something. I want to remember that Carter gets "frus-a-stated" with the mouse on his computer game, because "it isn't going where I want it to go." What do you want to remember? I want the blur to slow down. Don't you?

I've recently wanted to give up on this blogging hobby. I was thinking...who cares? I was thinking...I'm not as witty or funny or all together as so and so. I was thinking...I don't have time. I was thinking I would quit. But I've changed my mind. I blog to remember. I blog to see what I can do. I blog to celebrate the people in my life. I blog so I have a record of the blur and then I can remember the moments of the whirlwind. Why do you blog?