This chapter...

I loved this quote my awesome team teacher gave our Sunday School class:

"No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations."

-- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

And then the Relief Society's message was 'Be of Good Cheer' so it got me thinking... I feel beyond blessed that I can look at this "chapter of my life" and know that it is such a wonderful one. Brooks and Ava are still my babies (what am I saying...they'll always be my babies right? Right?), Adam is working and finishing school so we make it even more of a priority to make our time together count, and I have a young, healthy body that has more than enough energy [most of the time] to take care of those two littles I mentioned. I truly love it, and I'm trying not to take it for granted. But there are days and moments that seem "bleak"...especially when I struggle with patience and being selfish, and I feel like I'm failing at this balancing act of being an individual and being a mother and being a wife. No matter how big or small my low moments are, I know that Jesus Christ understands what I'm going through and He is waiting for me to confide in Him. And then, He has promised that if I stay faithful and follow in His footsteps by doing my best to lose myself in the service of others, the ending to my book of life will be incredible, and better than anything I could hope or dream!

I really needed that today...

Learning to love...

"Dear Human:
You’ve got it all wrong. You didn’t come here to master unconditional love. That is where you came from and where you’ll return. You came here to learn personal love. Universal love. Messy love. Sweaty love. Crazy love. Broken love. Whole love. Infused with divinity. Lived through the grace of stumbling. Demonstrated through the beauty of… messing up. Often. You didn’t come here to be perfect. You already are. You came here to be gorgeously human. Flawed and fabulous. And then to rise again into remembering. But unconditional love? Stop telling that story. Love, in truth, doesn’t need ANY other adjectives. It doesn’t require modifiers. It doesn’t require the condition of perfection. It only asks that you show up. And do your best. That you stay present and feel fully. That you shine and fly and laugh and cry and hurt and heal and fall and get back up and play and work and live and die as YOU. It’s enough. It’s Plenty."
-- Courtney A. Walsh

I really, really like that. Those littles in the sink are two of my favorite people on the planet (along with their sweet Daddy) and they teach me daily how to love, and be loved. It takes constant effort, and it's not always pretty, but we're working together. How did I get so lucky?

Brooks and Ava enjoying some skinny dipping (more like chunky dunking) in the kitchen sink over the weekend. ;)

the little things

Two posts in one day, I'm on a roll :)

Today in our Sunday school class (Marriage and Family Relations) the teacher led a discussion about teaching our children about faith in God and Jesus, the Spirit, forgiveness, prayer, loving one another, scripture study...the basics. They may seem like little things to some...but it's those things that make all the difference. They are the reason for my happiness.

And it reminded me of a sweet saying I found the other day:

{via}

That quote is referring to the little things in life...which are wonderful!

But I think it can also be connected to the blessing and knowledge of the Gospel. As a mother, I feel honored to be able to teach Brooks, and our future children, about the simple, precious truths of Christ and His gospel. Just thinking about when Brooks will say his first little prayer, or when I teach him to say "I'm sorry" and forgive others, or when he sings "I Feel My Savior's Love" for the first time...brings the happiest tears to my eyes.

It's the little things...

today.

Today Adam, Brooks, and I got to video chat on gmail with my sweet parents.

Oh how I miss them!!

It was great for them to be able to see and talk to Brooks :) He's feeling under the weather, but they got him to smile quite a few times...I know he loves his Grandma and Grandpa Stum!

And my mom has told me about his, but they were able to talk with Adam about how they have been biking maniacs lately!! They're training for a LONG bikeride they're doing together in August...camping out along the way and everything. They've become the ultimate biking nerds and they're proud of it :) They have matching reflective jackets, backpacks and side satchels (my mom rides her bike to the grocery store sometimes:), and even the little mirrors that clip onto their helmets. Goodness I love them.

************

And my sweet parents are the epitome of this quote:

I found this quote on pinterest...and I absolutely love it. I made me own print of it on picnik.com :)

It speaks a simple message full of truth.

So this week I'm going to make a goal to be better at truly going out of my way to do good every day.