Do You Think?

Do you think Santa still brings gifts to little girls who do this?

In other news, my graduation tassel came. I'm not walking, but I still wanted an '09 graduation tassel. I hung it on our Christmas tree, it seemed fitting. :)

I had my last class on Wednesday. It was bittersweet. I'm going to miss my undergrad program and all the professors I grew to love. However, I'm very glad school is over.

OK! That's enough little Miss Smartie Pants!

The above picture has nothing to do with my post. It's just funny because Holynd has the craziest hair and she loves to play with Christmas ornaments (yay... not!).

This post is dedicated to how smart Holynd is. Now, I know a lot of parents would be thrilled to have such a smart little girl, but somehow, this Little Miss Smartie Pants phase is not working out well for me.

Let's go over some things Holynd has learned in the last couple of weeks.

*She knows where the ESC key is on the keyboard and presses it whenever you are not looking. This isn't a big deal unless you have written a 4-page discussion board post for an online class, which doesn't offer you the option of saving before exiting.

*She knows how to take ornaments off of the tree, hide them underneath the couch and play with them only when she "knows" you are not looking.

*She can now open the fridge door.... I'm not kidding, she can stand up to the fridge open the fridge door and even open the drawers. She loves to take all the bottles out of the fridge door too. She's just lucky she's not tall enough to reach my Diet Pepsi or I may resort to spanking my child... ;)

*Holynd has a new found fascination with turning on and off the lights. She knows how to use a lightswitch and if you turn off the light when she wants to do it, she'll throw a huge temper- tantrum until you take her back to the room and let her do it. Or if you leave a room with out turning off the light, she'll grab, as you carry her out of the room, on to do the door jam causing you both to almost fall.

*I have no idea how she learned how to do this, but this one is really starting to get frustrating. She can take the back cover off the remote control to expose the batteries. Not just that, she'll "hide" the batteries so you can't find them and play with them when she "knows" you are not looking.

*She knows how to flip my phone "up" to see the full keyboard and has even almost sent a few text messages.

*Holynd loves to hide under her crib and not respond when you call out her name.

*She likes to drain her tub in the middle of her bath.

*She likes to turn the faucet on and off during her bath.

*If she puts a foreign object into her mouth and you come over to make her spit it out, she knows how to clamp her mouth shut, rendering you unsuccessful until you present her with a sucker or some other yummy treat.

*She knows how to bend her sippy cup "spout" just right to spray the contents everywhere.

*She knows how to open the cover to the DishNetwork box and turn the satellite dish on and off.

In other news, I still love being a mom.

G-Ma!

G-Ma! I looked really cute in the sweater and shoes you gave me. I also threw all my toys all over my room this morning!

Giving Thanks!

Matt and I have a lot to be thankful for this year! We love our little girl and she makes life so much more fun. Right now she's thankful for un-breakable Christmas ornaments and Thanksgiving leftovers. Matt was really thankful for the Toys-R-Us Black Friday sale this morning and I'm really thankful that my LAST undergrad semester!

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THREE MORE WEEKS until it's over! :)

(For now!)

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My family keeps getting confused. They keep mistaking my Graduation Parties for Christmas Parties, but I know they are really just throwing big parties to celebrate with me! :) (I really like my mom's Fettucini with yummy breadsticks and my mother-in-law's Cincinnati Chili... Hint.)

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I owe so much to my awesome mom and wonderful mother-in-law. School would've been completely impossible without them. I'm pretty sure they need a graduation cap too.

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Last Christmas was really hard. We lost my beloved Grandmother and Holynd was already giving us huge headaches. (She wasn't even here yet!) Sometimes I can't figure out how we lived through it, but Matt and I have awesome parents. They are amazing examples for us, especially on those many days of long hospital trips and awful doctors' visits. My mom lost her mother and she never once thought of herself. She sat with me at the hospital after a very scary amniocentesis and made sure those nurses took care of me. My mother-in-law told me stories of all the wonderful NICU nurses and doctors. Kathy made sure I knew that Holynd would be in good hands. Someday I hope to be half the mother that my mom and my mother-in-law are.

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We hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that everyone gained 10 lbs like we did.

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We're also so so so excited for Christmas because this year Santa is actually coming to our house! Our little girl has been very good and I have a feeling that Santa's has some amazing goodies in store. (We can't walk into any store without finding something else that Holynd CAN NOT live without).

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Happy Holidays everyone!

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Updates! And Mommy Talk.

I haven't posted in awhile. My camera is BROKEN and we've been waiting for "Black Friday" to get another one. You all will just have to bear through this post without pictures.

Holynd has finally decided to grow a tooth! It not completely in yet, but she been chewing on everything. She has been trying to take bites of the dog, but somehow he narrowly escapes every time.

We've also decided to re-nickname Holynd, Wild-Crazy. She's quite the energetic little being. She crawls a million-miles-an-hour from wall-to-wall in the living room. Wild-Crazy is also knocking over picture frames and opening drawers & cabinets. She keeps me quite busy. She also races like mad whenever I open the fridge or pantry. She has to get there before I shut the door! She fascinated with the pantry and fridge. Wild-Crazy is now able to stand on her own, but she refuses to walk. Learning to walk would take time and patience, neither of which Wild-Crazy has.
Wild-Crazy also has grown just enough hair to do pig-tails. I have to give her juice in order for her to let me do her hair, but she looks really cute once it's done!

Matt and I don't have stairs in our house, but somehow Wild-Crazy learned how to climb up stairs. She also had her first fall down the stairs at the Green Church. Go figure.

Matt and I are still loving being parents. I count my blessings everyday. I love being a wife and mom.

We're still trying like mad to get through this school semester. The older Wild-Crazy gets, the harder it is, but I'm still very thankful for all those people who help me go to school while being a mom. (My mom and my mother-in-law, both are awesome!)

Today while reading C Jane's Blog, I love her blog, she mentioned a talk by Julie B. Beck called "Mothers Who Know". If the truth be known, I read church talks when I'm having bad days, especially talks about being a wife and mom. I've read Sister Becks' talk before, but today it was especially needed. Sometimes I just need a little reassurance that I'm doing the right thing and that Wild-Crazy won't end up a bum because she had a 22-year-old mom while in infancy.

I think that society often wants us to think that motherhood is for wusses. We're often sub-consciously told that the REAL women are in the workforce making 'something of themselves'. I will admit, I used to be one of these thinkers. Then the Lord sent me Wild-Crazy and I had a change of heart. Motherhood is hard work. Props to stay-at-home-moms and working-mom's!

Now that you've listened to my sappy thoughts on motherhood you can read some of my favorite quotes from Sister Becks' talk.

Enjoy!

"Children are being born into a world where they "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). However, mothers need not fear. When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children."

"Mothers who know desire to bear children. Whereas in many cultures in the world children are 'becoming less valued,' in the culture of the gospel we still believe in having children. Prophets, seers, and revelators who were sustained at this conference have declared that 'God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.' President Ezra Taft Benson taught that young couples should not postpone having children and that 'in the eternal perspective, children—not possessions, not position, not prestige—are our greatest jewels.'"

"Mothers who know are always teachers. Since they are not babysitters, they are never off duty."

"Who will prepare this righteous generation of sons and daughters? Latter-day Saint women will do this—women who know and love the Lord and bear testimony of Him, women who are strong and immovable and who do not give up during difficult and discouraging times. We are led by an inspired prophet of God who has called upon the women of the Church to 'stand strong and immovable for that which is correct and proper under the plan of the Lord.' He has asked us to "begin in [our] own homes' to teach children the ways of truth. "

http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-775-27,00.html