Happily Ever After

 I don't think I stand alone in saying am so sick of campaign ads I could vomit. . I've seen some pretty dumb stuff from both sides but the one that took the cake was when Mitt Romney's and Ann Romney's marriage was attacked for being "too good'. I just remember thinking what the heck is wrong with the world to think that without anger and fighting a relationship can't run deep. The only thing I didn't like about the response Ann Romney gave attack was she said it's almost embarrassing that they've never had an argument. I guess this is what happens with a culture views happiness and contentedness as naivety so the urge can be there to feel a little embarrassed of being head over heals in love for your spouse. Well there should be absolutely no shame in having a relationship that can work through things without fighting.

  This topic has been on my mind lately because on a way smaller scale I received the same criticism recently about my marriage to Travis. It was implied to me that this incredible marriage must not be "real" almost like either we're living in a dream world or it can't be this good. When I told Travis this we both laughed pretty hard about it and then we got teary eyed and he squeezed my hand and assured me there is nothing more "real" and it is this good.

  We celebrated our 8th anniversary last week and let me tell you I AM CRAZY ABOUT TRAVIS TIDWELL! My heart still thumps when he walks in the door, I get giddy to see he's calling me, I still get chills when he holds my hand. Even more than that he is my best friend, it doesn't matter how tired I am at night I hate going to bed because I just want to talk and be with him a little longer. We can seriously sit and talk for hours about anything but I live for the nights we just talk a little more about our little family and how we can make it better, or as some of the greatest gospel discussions I have ever been a part of have taken place and of course the nights when we can't talk because we have so many tears in our eyes from laughing so hard together.

I remember a few weeks before we were married we went to the conference center and President Hinckley gave the talk "The Women in our Lives". I cried through the entire thing because I knew I was about to marry someone who would treat me just as the Prophet of God was instructing him to, and he has.

   For 8 years he has treated me like glass  yet at the same time he has pushed me to constantly grow and develop talents, constantly expand my mind and cares so much about my opinion. Even with him in med school he asks regularly when I'm going to get my masters. He constantly builds me up as a woman as he reverences the role of motherhood. 

  I've laughed as throughout our marriage feminist friends seem to think I'm mindlessly submissive, male chauvinists think I'm ruling him with an iron fist but in reality we've both learned an incredible lesson of trust. If were are both working our hardest to make the other one happy somehow all of our individual wants and needs are being taken care of because our greatest want and need is for the other one to be happy. I've learned from him that the role of a spouse is never to "change" the other one. If we love each other for exactly who we are, life will take care of making us better and we will always have the safety and love of each other as it does.

  So in long I am beyond giddy about Travis Tidwell and while my wedding day was awesome it was in no way the best day of my life because he has made countless days even better almost every day since. And to have something this amazing and this real is not something I will ever be embarrassed of.

Primary Program

So today was my favorite Sunday of the year...the primary program. I remember one year as a troubled teen I had gotten mad at my parents one morning and promised myself this time I was going to stay mad for the entire day. Well that was a total bust because when I got to church I found out it was the primary program and well let's face it if you don't leave sacrament meeting after the children sing their hearts out, eat the microphone and tell you the sweetest most simple testimonies you can hear, well then you are a sick human being.

The program was perfect. The only advice I would give for future program planners is when possible put siblings together. I'm pretty sure as Anna sung her heart out she did not take her eyes off me and Travis one time. And I'm not joking when I say sung her heart out. This did however make it hard to ever look over at Grace who was on the opposite side singing her heart out but following the chorister not noticing where we were looking. It was like Travis and I had this secret plan where we were aware when the other was focused on Anna so we could take a turn looking at Grace. It was so stinking cute.

Their lines where sweet as could be.

Anna:  My favorite prophet from the Book of Mormon was Mormon because he put the Book of Mormon together so we can learn more about Jesus.

Grace:  At the beginning of the school year we were asked to bring something to school that told about us. I brought the Book of Mormon because it shows I believe in Jesus. I told my class it's a true book. One of the kids in my class asked if it was like the Bible I said yes and we read that too. I learned it's never hard to do what Jesus wants us to do.

The simple lessons of kindness, love, trying to be like Jesus, Choosing the Right and I think the part that got me the most was when they sang. I look for the day of gladness when Jesus will come again. I was reminded that of all the lessons we teach our children that message of hope that the Savior will return is so essential but kind of ironic because once again instead of me being the one who was teaching that lesson to them they taught it to me. 

Isaiah 54:13 says "All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. I witnessed this today and have to add that seeing that peace with them brings me and even greater sense of peace. How wonderful to have the gospel of Jesus Christ and know that children truly are a heritage unto the Lord.

First Day of School

So it happened 2 months ago but I think I'm finally ready to blog about it. (sniff sniff) Grace and Anne started school again. And two months into it it's as bad as I thought. I saw a friend at the park yesterday who said...wow I'm not used to seeing you with just two. I bet your enjoying school being in. Nope not at all. When I say Grace and Anna are my best friends I'm being totally serious. I kind of laugh to myself when their teacher talk about how shy they are because the side I get to see of them is hilarious.

But here are a couple of picture of the first day.

 So this is the group of kinder gardeners just from our neighborhood.

 I felt the picture below deserved to be bigger because just look at their faces. I took this while we were having a little neighborhood kindergarden photo shoot. Nelson looks like he's about to die and Dillan looks like he's going at least 80mph. I loose it every time I see this picture. If you could just see these two neighbors on a daily basis.

So far school has been great. Anna has a little rough time sometimes but whenever she does they call Grace out of her class to come cheer her up. Now that is one incredible school It's just on occasion. She absolutely loves school though. One day she was having a hard time and I asked her if she wanted to be home schooled. (knowing exactly what her answer would be) she didn't even take 10 seconds to say no. So I know she loves it we just miss each other. She comes home everyday though and says that she started to feel sad and then said a prayer. It's so comforting to know that even at the age of 5 if we teach our children the truth then they will know where to turn for guidance when lifes storms come.

How Meet the Robinsons Saved my Soul

    So I'm not one to really open up about life when I'm having a hard time and rarely even after. However, I feel that the Lord has taught me some lessons over the last couple of months that I hope whatever posterity I have some day can learn from. Today in Relief Society I shared an experience that I had when Grace was a baby. I was super nervous about raising a little girl in this crazy society that is so obsessed with tearing others down. I prayed hard one night to know what I could do to help her to grow with confidence. The answer came so clearly a couple of days later I felt one of the strongest impressions I have ever felt. "Don't ever let her hear you tearing others down". From that moment I decided I was going to do my best to see the best in others. And I have to tell you while I am not a girl of many talents I have seen this mini mission of mine change the outlook of the world and people at times. Having a positive attitude has come easy along with seeing the good in others has up to this point been virtually a drama free life. However, lately I slowly found myself slacking.

  A couple of months ago I did something I would almost come to regret and didn't understand until this week the reasons behind it all. I prayed for trials to help me draw closer to the Savior. Oh man has it been a rough go for me. I have felt on a daily basis an opportunity for a new or old flaw to be presented basically put myself on display for the judging of anyone whoso felt so inclined. And as most of us know, in this society there are plenty who do feel so inclined. I was given more opportunities than I have had since I returned from my mission to open my mouth about the gospel. Some were easy and some were hard. I had opportunities to stand up for beliefs in settings I didn't think I should have to, deal with some difficult people,  and best of all I had countless opportunities to stick my foot far into my mouth saying plenty of things I shouldn't have said to plenty of people I shouldn't have said them to. The worse of all was I found more anger in my heart than I have ever experienced. I mean it was bad and I was in a dark place, a very dark place. Then on the lowest of low mornings I was reminded of Goob. You know the villain from Meet the Robinsons, well I realized I was basically him. I know I'm sounding psychotic. So I decided to google Goob and just watch a clip about him and compare how we were pretty much the same person. If you would like to watch push play on the below clip and fast forward to the 2:09 mark. 

While the above clip is what I was looking for it is not what I found. Instead I found the answer to my 2 month trial. Of course it was still in Meet the Robinson Form. It was the movie theme song Little Wonders (see clip below). Now don't laugh but as soon as I hit play I felt the most overwhelming peace. I seriously listened to the song about 20 times that day as I realized what was truly important. Every time the song would say "Our lives are made by these small hours" I was reminded that who I become depends on the choices I am making in every small moment of the day and if I'm allowing outside forces, frustrations etc. into my life it will affect those precious moments. Strengthening myself, my family and the church are the only things that matter. In the words of Elder Wirthlin "if you're criticizing others, your weakening the church." In that same note I 100% believe if I am criticizing others whether it be in my head or out loud I am weakening myself and my home.

This is where the little revelation about Grace comes in. Through this experience part 2 of it came. Something I wasn't ready for until now. Grace, Anna and Emilyne need not only an example of a mother who doesn't tear others down but doesn't allow herself to be torn down.  I want to be an example of a woman who has flaws, oodles of them, who's working daily to be a little better who is not tearing herself to bits and is not concerned about the precepts of men as she side by side with the Savior learns all the lessons life has to teach her. As I mentioned above I am raising 3 daughters in a society that sits like vultures waiting for anyone to mess up so they can sound the criticizing alarm, make a sarcastic comment or paste their mistakes on youtube. 

To me this is a scary reality, and while these last couple of months have been a little rough for me, how wonderful to have had so many opportunities to make sooo many mistakes and learn one of the greatest lessons of all; to have confidence in our mistakes and weaknesses. The best of all was through these daily trials I have felt the love of the Lord stronger than ever before. I realized how when I am feel so weak I can turn to him for strength. I need Jesus Christ in my life. Faith in him is the only place we will ever find true confidence. And that faith happens usually doesn't come in one big event it happens in these small hours.

Gladys

  So last night was amazing! I got to spend it with the Empress of Soul that's right friends Gladys Knight came to town for a night of song and testimony. It was beautiful. The music was soul moving and her boldness in sharing the gospel was inspiring. For me the thing that was the greatest was how it was nothing like anything I'd experienced before. The chapel was rockin as the choir swayed and hearing some of our traditional hymns put to a gospel beat was really touching to me.
   My favorite part of all was watching how what was going on affected so many people in so many different ways. A few had there hands in the air, some let out an occasional mm..hmm.. or amen, some couldn't help but move with the music. And then of course there were all the white folks who sat there quietly reverently enjoying the show with moments of discomfort from her boldness in sharing the gospel and abililty to just say whatever she felt.
   As my day has gone on today I can't stop thinking about some of the things she shared as she bore her testimony. She said she knew she was a member of the true church and that everyone there last night who wasn't a member needed to try it out. At the same time she said that in the church we have so much to learn from different cultures and their ways of worshiping  I couldn't agree more. As I read in 1 Nephi 4 today the praiseful language of Nephi by far mirrored the words and ways of a culture I took part in last night over that of my own.
    I hope to have learned from the people I was surrounded by in fearlessly praising the Lord and being more open to learn from all people who desire in their own way to praise, glorify, worship and above all follow the example of Jesus Christ.

Iowa State Fair...check

   So after 3 years we finally made it to the Iowa State Fair this year. I was so excited because we've been trying to make it for the last two years but it just never worked out. So last year I said we would go all out this year. We would ride the rides, eat the food and have an absolute blast. Well that was the case until we got in the gates and I saw the prices. $6 for a corn dog! So even though I tried my hardest not to be the incredibly cheap person I failed. I didn't fail on the absolute blast aspet though. We had so much fun.

 While we didn't eat everything we did share 1 corn dog and a delicious ice cream sandwich.

 Saw the first place heffers

 And one that was made completely out of butter (one of the biggest attractions of the fair)

 And what better sidekick to a gigantic butter cow than the seven butter dwarfs?

Then the kids were able to play on the little hands on the farm activity which was a blast.

 I think my favorite part of it all was seeing the baby animals. They have a bunch of animals who give birth during the fair. There were day old calfs, goats, pigs and we even were there when a baby chick hatched.

  

 It was by far the most amazing state fair ever and while we were finally able to check it off one list it made it to my list of all the reasons I love Iowa!

Look who's 30

So I thought about planning a big celebration being that Travis was hitting the big 30. But after some thought I decided a small quaint party with Travis and his 4 miniature best friends would be a little more appropriate.  We had a blast playing pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, and of course a dance party followed by a slumber party in the living room. 

 Of course we ate all of his favorite treats.

 And what's any celebration without this little party animal stopping by.

It's kind of fun going into your 30's Travis and I talked about all the things that happened in his 20's. He went on a mission, got married, had 4 kid who are almost as crazy about him as I am, graduated college, got his plumbing license, became a certified mediator, moved to Iowa and got 2 years of med school under his belt and I'm pretty sure he did it all with out stressing 1 time (he's so cool). He is living an amazing life and  I wake up everyday just giddy to be part of it.

He's The Guy... He's Super Why!

  So a couple of weeks ago I found a ridiculous deal on a Super Why costume. This happened at the perfect time being that as of late Nelson has experienced an identity crisis.He is convinced he is Super Why. He no longer responds to Nelson he politely informs you it's Super Why. In preschool he is Super Why, in nursery when they asked him to pretend he was a snowman he let the teacher know that he wasn't a snowman... he's Super Why. He wears it to the library, grocery store, park, you name it. He hates to take it off.
  It has also has been a huge help on discipline as I remind him a few times a day that Super Why listens to his mom, doesn't hit his sister, cleans up his messes etc. And it has worked wonders so I have to say that costume has worked better than any parenting book ever has.
   And so he works all day long to save the world with his amazing super power to warm hearts which as you can see is one exhausting job.