Logan Prayers

Logan said his own prayer from start to finish for the first time lastnight. Three actually. While Readung books:

In the softest, most delicate, reverent voice:

First-

"Father, bless my friend. Amen."

Back to reading books...

"Mom, need to say prayer!"

...To the side of the bed...

"Father, Please Grandpa feel better. I go bowling. Amen"

Back to the books...

"I need say prayer!"

...back to the side of the bed...

"Father, Bless Laila. Amen."

They are pretty short and sweet but man, do I feel the spirit strong. 

I sure love this wild little boy. 

Thirty and flirty and...running

The big 3-0 is around the corner! And I'm pretty stoked. No, I do not feel at all sad or mopey. In fact, quite the opposite. My twenties were great. Learned a lot- had a family, challenged myself and accomplished things I always dreamed of, and I definitely am leaving them much wiser than I entered them- that's for dang sure. But I am excited to watch my children grow and see what I can do in the next ten years. Learn some new skills? Accomplish some new goals? School? Who knows where life will turn? 

Some of my amazing group of girlfriends here in Seattle inspired me to sign up for the Seattle Rock n Roll Half Marathon on June 18th. I have wanted to do this for a long time, and I was really wanting to get back in to shape before my birthday. SO- I have been running my buns off- literally. My Y membership is seriously high on my gratitude list. The boys love the kid's gym, so it's nice to have that little break. And most times I am there it is like a girl's day out with some of my dearest friends, The kid's gym is usually full of Logan and Rudy's little buddies and I get to go run next to all their mommies. Seriously- one of life's little blessings except it's not so little. Love it.

This past week the illnesses around here escalated to ridiculousness. pink eye, thrush, double ear infections, thrush, green colds, diarrhea...bleh. I had that song 'I've Seen Better Days' stuck in my head for days and thought- bring on the zombie apocalypse- they wouldn't touch us.

After a couple days stressing about not getting runs in, I felt the impression that I needed to just forget about it for the week and focus on caring for my family. So I was able to relax and let it go- and decided  to remember the awesome week I'd had before. I ended it with my best/longest run yet. 

R had had enough of kid's gym by 96%. Ha.

And thanks to great Pediatricians, the Lord's tender mercies, and soup delivered by multiple family and friends- we are doing much better around here!

I will be paying it forward, for sure.

So go ahead- reach for that goal you've been thinking about. 

If I can do it- you can too.

Xo,

Linds 

Rudy turns 1: My First Rodeo!

Our kid's first birthays have been two of the happiest days of my life. I love the opportunity to celebrate them and spoil them a bit- and reminisce about the magical day we met them. Rudy, my heart is bursting with love for you. You are one of a kind and have taught us a new level of love. I'll save some of the mushy stuff for the end of this, so I give you:

Rudester...
Reutiger...
Rooster...
Tooter...

Rootin' Tootin' RUDY!:

Grammy Rice- always ready for fun...

Everyone wore bandanas. We drank root beer, chowed on Grandma Woodhouse's beans, rode horses and had "bad guy" water gun battles. 

Uncle Critty is always a hit with the kiddos!

Well hey there, cowboy... ;)

can I tell you how much I LOVE this photo of Logan?!

Give that boy a chance to pretend he's getting bad guys and there is major fun to be had...

Some Photo Booth fun!...

I love you two more than words can express.

These are probably my favorite pictures of the day!

This relay was a hot mess- but we laughed! Participants shot marshmallows off Coke bottles with water guns, galloped around the house on a horse, do-si-do'd and rang a cow bell for the win.
Yee. Haw.

Jeff and I were absolutely positive that Rudy would devour his cake. We have joked that he may very well be a competitive eater in his adult life. 

As tradition, Grammy Rice made his smash cake and the adorable horse cupcakes. 

He was pretty delicate. He poked at it with one finger and never really took off.

Mom, Dad, and even big brother tried to help him out but he just wasn't feelin' it. 

But hey, got some sweet photos out of it! :)

The Stats:

Length: 30.5 inches - 76th Percentile

Weight: 19 lbs 2 oz - 16th Percentile

First tooth: 6 months - Nov 19th

First Steps: 10 months - April 7th

Rudy,

You are a joyful, playful baby who is full of personality!
You wave, toast your sippy cup with your bro when he says "CHEERS", and are practically running everywhere. You LOVE Daisy and all cats and dogs- and squeal when you see them. 

You decided soon after starting solids that pureed foods were for babies, and you eat like a man- Chili, whole bananas, pasta, chicken sausage... you name it. (Just not cake, apparently...)

Your top two teeth are just perfect. Everyone comments on them when we are out. 

You think sleep is overrated. 

You play sports with your brother already- favorite?- Hockey!

Thinking back- You were in the belly already when we decided it was time to grow our family, you were born a few days early on a day I wasn't expecting to meet you, you started walking so soon- 

You are just so ready to be here and take on the world-

and we are so very blessed to do it with you.

Happy Birthday, my sweet RUDY TOOTY!

100 Lessons in 100 days: The Book of Mormon

A few months ago, our Stake Relief Society leadership challenged us to read the Book of Mormon in 100 days. After a wrestling with the idea of committing, I decided to listen to it at night while I did dishes and write a quick note before bed- a thought that stood out or the overall theme or a lesson that I learned... whatever came to mind.

As I sat here and opened my laptop with the intention to start this blog post, I felt that feeling- that inner warmth, peace, and goodness that seems to come when I express my testimony and feelings of this book and my faith. It is hard to describe and is quite remarkable. But there's no denying it.

After looking back it is obvious why we are taught to make this book a part of our daily lives.

My notes:

Day 1

The Lord may call me to do mighty things- trust in Him. He will guide me to success.

Day 2

True happiness comes from humbly obeying

Day 3
Be a tender parent.

Day 4

I should be concerned about the Lord wants- not the world. 

Day 5

Jesus Christ is my savior, redeemer of the world.

Day 6

My faith= armor and power

Day 7

Do what is right and He stands waiting to bless me.

Day 8

REMEMBER HIM!- Always

Day 9

We are 'numbered'- each known by Him.

Day 10

It will not be popular to follow His church...it doesn't matter

Day 11

Our trials are for our gain

Day 12

The scriptures bring me JOY!

Day 13

Remember Him, try to do what's right and my heart will rejoice

Day 14

Avoid being worldly

Day 15

Can I follow Christ's example of 'Here am I, send me?'

Day 16

God is my salvation, my strength

Day 17

The purpose of the Book of Mormon is to persuade people to believe in Christ

Day 18

Jesus Christ will never deny anyone. His greatness is for all. 

Day 19

We will be held accountable for what we do with our time here on Eatth

Day 20

The way is simple- follow Him and do what He did

Day 21

The Lord delights in chaste, humble women

Day 22 (catch-up day)

Day 23

Jesus grieves when he loses one of us

Day 24

My faith cannot be shaken!

Day 25

I don't know all things to come- but the Lord does- and He will provide a way

Day 26

The obedient can find themselves in a state of never-ending happiness

Day 27

Give of my substance to the poor- for are we not all beggars- depending on the Lord.

Also- remember.

Day 28

Be patient, God will deliver us from our afflictions

Day 29 (catch-up day)

Day 30

Pride and anger are of the devil

Day 31

"He was bruised for our iniquities...and with His stripes we are healed."

Day 32

My testimony is precious to m. I don't think I could deny it- even in the face of death

Day 33

My baptism was a joyous day!

Day 34

SO many times in the Book of Mormon when something needs to be done that is important- matters of life and death- they send the women to take care of it. We are powerful tools in God's hands

Day 35

Heavenly Father knows my heart, and can heal it

Day 36 (catch-up day)

Day 37

Arise and stand forth- the Lord needs me

Day 38

When something happens within the church that troubles me- remain steadfast and immovable- and trust that God has it under control

Day 39

Mighty power can work miracles

Day 40

If I were called home today- could I go with a pure heart and clean hands?

Day 41

The Lord may ask me to do difficult- even scary tasks in doing what's right- but the miracles that can happen when I do!

Day 42

How silly it would be to think I could outsmart or know better than the prophet of God

Day 43 (catch-up day)

Day 44

Christ encircles us with love. Satan encircles us with chains

Day 45

May my testimony always be so strong that I may say: "Do with me what you will..."

Day 46

May I always recognize the opportunities God places before me to be an instrument in His hands

Day 47

Men endured so much to bring about this book- they stood for truth

Day 48

People did forsake all they had to receive the great joy of Christ

Day 49

Despite the awful trials they had endured, Ammon focuses on the positive and boasts of the goodness of God

Day 50 (Catch-up day)

Day 51

In the end: His way= joy and happiness 

Day 52

Satan is quick to tempt us, but not quick to save us...

Day 53

Often being humbled by our own afflictions is exactly what we need to get closer to Christ

Day 54

Pay attention! Now is the time...don't procrastinate!

Day 55

Go to bed at night asking the Lord to watch over me, then wake and give thanks

Day 56

"No one ever really dies..."

Day 57 (Catch-up day)

Day 58

How important are wise, strong, brave military leaders

Day 59

How grateful I am to be a Christian in a free land

Day 60

Coming down from my standards even just a little bit can have terrible consequences

Day 61

Moroni prepared for anything- so had no need to fear

Day 62

To stand for God is to stand with confidence

Day 63

Live so Logan and Rudy could not doubt their faith because of my example

Day 64 (catch up day)

Day 65

Am I strict to remember the Lord day by day?

Day 66

Seek for the Glory of God, not the honor of the world

Day 67

In tough situations- I have a choice. How will I respond?

Day 68

Pride is a powerful tool of the devil

Day 69

Repent= prosper

Day 70

The same being tempts me today that tempted Adam and Eve, don't give way

Day 71 (Catch-up day)

Day 72

God speaks to His Prophet on earth

Day 73

Don't wait until I am in trouble to remember God. Include Him ALWAYS

Day 74

If I find myself getting defensive, take a step back and evaluate. Is there something I need to fix? Probably...

Day 75

We need not fear the wicked

Day 76

The small, still voice of the Lord is way more powerful than the loud voice of the wicked

Day 77

When Christ comes again, will I be nervous and in need of repentance- or prepared and excited?

Day 78 (catch-up day)

Day 79

The Lord keeps His word- Always

Day 80

It disapoints Him when we contend over His docgtrine- agree to disagree

Day 81

Wide is the gate to destruction, narrow is the way of life

Day 82

How Christ longs for us to be with Him!

Day 83

The wisdom of the Lord is greater than the craftiness of the devil

Day 84

"Return unto me, and I shall return unto you..."

Day 85 (catch-up day)

Day 86

We are Christ's church

Day 87

The Lord fulfills His promises

Day 88

There is real evil in the world. Christ's protection is vital

Day 89

How is it that we can forget our Savior?

Day 90

"The eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on..."

Day 91

The Lord won't always tell us what to do. He has to allow us to figure things out so we can grow

Day 92 (catch-up day)

Day 93

He will/can ask us to get through almost impossible things- but He will come through in the end.

Day 94

How patient the Lord is with us...

Day 95

Faith preceeds miracles

Day 96

Christ came and set the example of what to do and taught is how to remember Him

Day 97

He knows the true intentions of my heart

Day 98

I know these words are truth...

Day 99

Someday I will meet the men and women in this book...I will.

Day 100 (I did it!)

Soon after finishing, I was given the opportunity to speak at church about what I learned and how this book affects my life. I am glad they asked me. This book makes me better and I'm so grateful for it.

Each time I read, I fall in love with a new person. This time it was the courage, faith, and fearless leadership of Captain Moroni.

I am certain there isn't a person on the planet that wouldn't benefit from reading it's stories.

With Love,

Lindsey

Become as a little child

Logan is at this wonderful age. The wheels are constantly turning. He is noticing everything around him and soaking it all in. He is connecting the dots and saying new things all the time. Here are a few of my favorite memories:

This Christmas he has been so interested in the story of Christ's birth. He was so delicate and precise putting ornaments on the tree and when it came time for the star, his face lit up and exclaimed, "Jesus born!" He seems to have such reverence whenever he sees a picture of Baby Jesus. His sweetness is a constant reminder for us to slow down and just remember.

- Dad's car recently broke down:

 "Le Grand" was good to us but sadly had seen her last day on the road. Logan has been very empathetic and constantly asked us sadly "Daddy's car broke? " One day when he knew Dad was sad about it he disappeared and soon returned with one of his hot wheels for Dad exclaiming "new car!!" He was so happy to help fix the problem. Sweetheart.

Prayers with Logan have been hit and miss. Sometimes we have sweet experiences and other times he absolutely refuses. Sounds about right for a 3 1/2 year-old, though, right? One day when walking into QFC he simply asked me "prayer?" So I explained to him that we can pray anywhere, anytime. So, he popped a squat right there on the sidewalk, bowed his head, folded his arms and uttered a quick "Father.. (something, something)...AMEN!" Then stood up and continued his walk with me in to the store. Ha. Anytime, anywhere, buddy!

Logan came home from school one day and said sincerely "Miss you, Mom...at school." It got quite the reaction out of me so now he says it most days after school. It never gets old.

He is learning his letters and since we live near the University, his favorite is W- because it is everywhere. And he points them out- every one of them- whether they are on a sign or someone's sweatshirt. W!!!!

Happy half-Birthday, Rudy!

Oh, Rudy.

First off, I love that we named you Rudy. It is perfect for you. You are a little hunk of love who loves to cuddle and burry yourself in the neck of whoever holds you.

You love to giggle with your brother and eat your toes.

If there is paper or a cord anywhere in this house...you will find it and try to eat it.

Nursing is pretty interesting these days. You'd much rather be socializing. You often take a break and bend over backwards to see who is there- grinning big at whoever you see! (Dad comes to talk to you mid-nursing on purpose because he loves how glad you are to bend back and see him.)

You LOVE splashing in the tub with brother, and I LOVE a naked Rudy. You are so perfectly round and solid and smooth. Baby skin doesn't get any softer than yours. My little butterball.

Shortly after your half-birthday, you first tooth made it's appearance. (bottom left to be exact) You really struggle with teething. It seems to hurt you more than it did Logan. Lots of tears and snuggles to get through that milestone.

You are rolling all over and have discovered the joy of sleeping on your tummy. You have challenged Mom and Dad to function on little sleep and look forward to the day when you realize sleep is actually pretty awesome.

Weight: 13 lbs 14 oz - 13th Percentile
Length: 25.75 in - 44th Percentile

What a joy you are, Ruder Tooter. You bring a sweet spirit to our home and make us all smile. You are all smiles and seem so ready to take on the world and grow up. I hope it doesn't happen too soon though because I will really miss the baby Rudy.

Parties and Celebrations...

Our Fourth of July weekend was crazy fun this year. We partied and celebrated 4 days straight.

 

Friday

First up: Celebrating 3-year-old Logan!! We started the day with some hitting practice at the golfing range, one of Logan's favorite things to do. He has his own clubs and everything- he's legit. ;)

Then him and Daddy got dressed in their superhero shirts and we went to swim at the Mercer Island Country Club with two of Logan's favorite people- Uncle Critty (who works there) and Auntie Aleigha. We watched Critty play tennis, swam, munched on some grub and did a few cannon balls. Logan was looking like a big boy with his new haircut and we practiced saying "I'm 3" all day. 

After swimming- DQ ice cream cake at Critty and Aleigha's. Mmmm...

 

 

Saturday

I just love our Fourth of July traditions. Each year we head to Nonie and Grandpa's- Three Tree Point in Burien. There's BBQin', Bocce, football, and memories made in their beautiful backyard overlooking the water. The neighborhood is covered in Red, White and Blue and the streets and beaches are packed with people celebrating. A band rocks out on the corner and when it gets dark fireworks are lit off the barge right in front of us. We left this year feeling pretty lucky to be a part of it- perfect way to spend the holiday.

 



Great Grandpa Ray with Rudy



Down the street where the band plays

Playin on the beach. Little L did some serious rock-throwin' :)

 



 

Sunday

This was a special day. In our church, babies are given a blessing by their Father and other men who hold the Priesthood during our Sunday Sacrament meeting. (They are later baptized if they choose when they are 8 years old.)

During the blessing, each man in the circle placed a hand under Rudy and softly bounced him while Jeff spoke a beautiful blessing. Jeff and I talked about certain things that we felt were important to us to include, but a big part of it involves Jeff listening for thoughts and impressions to come to his heart and mind from the spirit- certain blessings that we may not have known will be important for Rudy to have.

How grateful I am for the wonderful, good-hearted men that stood in that circle with Jeff. It touched my heart to have Rudy upheld by the hands of so many men who are so much of what I hope for my boys to be- humble, kind, full of service and have firm testimonies and relationships with their Savior.  

And it is times like these that I fall deeper in love with my husband. It requires discipline and sacrifice to be worthy of that Priesthood, and I am deeply grateful for his dedication to it. 

Some things I wrote down that were said in Rudy's blessing:

That he may develop a strong testimony of the gospel, as well as a sound understanding of the Word of Wisdom; That he will have a healthy body and help others to do so; That he would do well in school, again helping others to do well also.

Jeff blessed him with a love for his brother- that they would be great friends. I felt the spirit especially strong during these words and my testimony of eternal families was strengthened.

So many times during Rudy's blessing it was mentioned that he would be kind and helpful- and I felt like this was speaking to the kind of man he would become.

It ended with a reminder that we love him and that his Heavenly Father does too.

Men in Rudy's circle:

Uncle Critty, Our Bishop: Dave Every, our Home Teacher: Jeff Bell, and some of Logan's friends' Daddies: Nate Bushman, Brady Houston, Brandon Dickinson and Cameron Garner.

Oh and it is tradition to hold up the baby after the blessing so everyone can see him and his sweet outfit. Jeff held him up like the monkey held up Simba in the Lion King. Awesome honey. That was the cherry on top. Haha.

 

 

Monday

We decided to forgo the traditional family Birthday bash this year and just party it up with all of Logan's sweet friends and cousins.

We met at Volunteer Park in Seattle for an Avenger's themed party and some fun in the splash park! 



 

 

 

 

...And then we crashed and slept harder than ever before.

:)