My Questionaire and answers

I decided to make up my own questionaire and answer it. I hope you enjoy reading a little bit more about me.

1. Name at LEAST one person (unrelated) who has changed your life and tell why.
I would have to say Val Finlayson (teacher I worked with) because she made me realize that I am talented even in the areas where I feel I am not strong, and she got me to think in different ways.

2. Do you ever get discouraged and feel unloved in a whole world of people? And how do you pull yourself out of that rutt?
I'm sure you can guess that my answer is yes, and my best way to get out is to turn to God through prayer and scripture study. (When I'm really smart I add excercise to that also)

3. Do you have days where you wonder if those you are closest to (spouse, family, friend) REALLY love you? How do you address those problems?
Yes I definately do. Especially when I don't have much time spent with Kent. I usually have to come right out and tell Kent I feel unloved because I need more of your quality time (my love language).

4. What has been your greatest success in the last year?
Finally getting through Braxton's horrible sleeping habits. He sleeps so well now (most of the time) and I enjoy him so much more when he is awake. Also conquering my post-partem depression because of sleepless nights.

5. What has been your greatest challenge this year?
Figuring out how to get Braxton to sleep well. Conquering my post-partum, and figuring out how to be a wife as well as a mom.

6. Tell about any new friends you met this year who have blessed your life.
I have two great neighbors who saved me from feeling like I was isolated in my home. They are Melissa and Stacey. They moved in around January and April I beleve. I am so grateful the Lord blessed me with them.

7. Are their any old friends who have brought new joy to your life?
I would have to say that it has been a joy having children with my three friends Becca, Sara, and Tia (and Ian). It just nice to know others going through the same things.

8. If time, travel, and money were not a factor who would you spend the day with?
After much thought I would like to say Becca, but even before her I would want to spend an ENTIRE day with Braxton and Kent just having a good time. Maybe our families could just spend the day together.

9. If there was one thing you could change about yourself physically what would it be?
To get back the more slender body I possessed when I met Kent. It was hotter than I knew!

10. What is one thing you would change emotionally, mentally, or spiritually?
I feel like I really struggle with insecurities and negative thoughts. I would like to be able to recognize negative thoughts immediately and replace them immediately with encouraging thoughts.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you feel so inclined I would love you to email me your responses at marliesk@hotmail.com

Count Your Many Blessings

So tonight is a pity party in my head and I need to change the feeling. In fact a lot of my days have been that way lately. It seems like I have been suffering from the why can't my life be like that syndrome (does anyone else suffer from that syndrome or is it just me?). Tonight Kent didn't feel good and went into bed at 7:00 pm for a nap. It's now way past bedtime and he's still sleeping. It makes it really hard for me to want to go to bed because the best part of bed time (the 2 min. of cuddling and talking Kent to sleep) is already over. I have to wait a whole other day before I can get it again. So...in order to get these negative thoughts out of my head I am going to count my many blessings. So here I go...

1. I have a loving husband who works hard so I can stay at home and raise our son.
2. I have a happy healthy son who brings joy to his mom and dad.
3. I have a roof over my head and a few cute decorations inside to make it feel like mine.
4. I have a car and it's paid for.
5. I have a truck and it's great even unpaid for!
6. I have the gospel to help me on nights like this from allowing Satan to really get me down.
7. I have two hands that are capable of work.
8. I have a strong body that is capable of exercise if I choose to.
9. I have plenty of food daily and it is usually fresh and healthy.
10. I have a great family who is there for me when I need them, all I have to do is ask.
11. My home is filled with things that tell me that I haven't been poor and destitute.
12. I have a piano and the ability to make beautiful music to cheer me up (and I can play it anytime because it's electric and has headphones).
13. I have great friends and good neighbors who value my friendship.
14. I have a quick sharp mind with common sense to back it up.
15. I can laugh and play and enjoy the good things in my life.
16. I enjoy and appreciate the beautiful things of nature.
17. My husband woke up and wondered why I am still awake.
18. I get to have 30 sec. to 2 min. of cuddle time. (I doubt talking will go too far)
19. I am a fun personality and good sense of humor (at least that's what Kent tells me)
20. I will be more able to get to sleep now that I get in my cuddle time. Good-night!

Teenagers wonder why adults don't respect their opinions?

Tonight Kent, Braxton, and I rode trax down to the Gateway Mall. It was a great night to just get out and enjoy each other. It's been a while and I am glad to have time with my husband and son. The most interesting part of our evening was on the way home. Tonight there was a Bee's (baseball) game and a large group of kids hopped on trax on their way back from the game. I am always drawn to watching youth because of their energy and enjoyment of life. As this group got on I smiled because of the enjoyment they were having being together. As I continued watching I was a little saddened. There were about six or seven girls in the group. Of these there were about three girls who were actually sufficently covered. Then as they were checking for tickets two young men in the group had to exit the train because they hadn't purchased tickets.

This experience made me recall a statement made (don't know the source sorry) about how teenagers today are frusterated because adults don't respect their opinions. I wanted to take these girls and tell them how beautiful they were and how they didn't need to show off their bodies. I also wanted to take these boys and discuss with them the importance of responsibility and preparedness.

I want so much to show these kids how they look to the adults in this world. I told Kent that I want our kids to know how many kids give adults reason to not respect the youth in this world. Then I want them to know how to be an outstanding youth who is such that adults can only respect them for the people they are and the choices they make. I really want them to learn who they are and how important they are. I want them to know the impact they can make in this world. I am so grateful for my testimony of the gospel that helps me know what standards to live by so that I don't have to take on the additudes on the world. I am also grateful to have a husband who lives those standards so that our children will have two examples of the standards to live by.

In closing I'd like to leave you with two quotes.

How strange that the young should always think the world is against them - when in fact that is the only time it is for them. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves. ~Virginia Satir, The New Peoplemaking, 1988

Five Hours and Five or Six Stitches Later

Tonight was a very long and sad night. It is very late and Kent is still unwinding from the evening so I thought I would tell you about it. I had told my neighbor that I would watch her kids this evening and Kent wanted to go to his bosses son's football game. Kent decided to make it a father and son outing so he took Braxton. Well Kent could only contain Braxton for so long and then Braxton wanted to wander. Finally Kent gave him a little freedom and his little legs missed the step and landed him into the bleacher in front of them. Kent called me and asked what to do with a cut above the eyelash. He was finally able to get a good look at the wound and saw that it was a small gash on his lower eyelid. I ran over to tell the neighbor I could watch her kids and Kent picked me up to head to the Dr. office. Well long story short, because of his age and the location of the cut Braxton had to be sedated in order to stitch his eyelid. This meant we were heading to Primary Children's Hospital. It took about two hours waiting to get a room and once the procedure was over we had to wait for the drugs to wear off. We finally left the ER at about 11:15 after arriving there at about 6:30. It was so sad to see my little boy all drugged up and out of it. I hope to never see him that way again.

Update: He is doing well this morning and showing no signs of being bothered by his eye. It hasn't appeared at all that his eye was affected or that he had any head trauma. I am so very grateful that his injury was so minor considering how major it could have been. The sad part about all of this was how awful Kent seemed to feel that he hadn't prevented it. He was very kind to want to take his son out and spend time with him and then this happened. I hope it won't make Kent leary of taking Braxton on his own again.

Smoking Bandits

You walk passed them outside the store, you see them in the street, you see them gathered at the park across the street from the high school. Yes these are the people with a smoking habit and I am blogging about them today. There are two reasons I am talking about this. First of all my poor neighbors had their car broken into last night or this morning. It sucks! The part that makes her the most mad is that the criminal smoked in the car long enough that the car now reeks of cigarette smoke. And she has a baby who too will have to breathe in that sick air. Isn't it bad enough that they were in the car, but now there is a lingering reminder.

The other reason is my nonjudgemental reason. I was leaving Walmart (why do I ever go there?) today and there was a woman in the car next to mine smoking and my first thought was oh great Braxton is going to get smoke in his lungs. Now call me an overprotective mother, but I hate even the idea of things polluting his lungs. Then as the woman caught the look of my face I am sure I had a moment of pity. I realized the chains that are strapping that woman to that car so that she can have her smoke and still she has people walk by and she feels the shame of her dirty habit. One that she just can't give up. At that moment I smiled at her and felt a sorrow for her trapped soul that I can't explain.

As I was contemplating all this I remembered my youth. I must have been 4 or 5 and I grabbed some cheetoes and pretended to smoke them. My dad promptly scolded me and told me that we don't even pretend to smoke. I don't know how well that one worked because a few years later I recall lighting a piece of rolled up paper at give the true appearance without actually smoking. I put that paper up to my lips and was so clever to inhale. Funny how even though it was only paper it still put smoke in my lungs and I don't recall that as being very fun.

So I've decided that when I am confronted with teaching my kids the ills of smoking they will get an abundance of information. I will tell them, you wouldn't want to smoke for real because it makes you stink and now one wants to be around you because you stink. It makes your food taste terrible. It makes you cough and breathe horribly. It's really hard to stop smoking even if you want to, and it's just not even worth pretending. If you pretend then satan gets into you mind and makes you curious and then you may try it, and if you try it then your body thinks it needs it, and it does not!

I just can't imagine the hurtful stigma that you have to endure with this horrible habit. No non-smokers want to be around you because you do stink, and there are so many health drawbacks with no benefits. Besides all that it's like the ad's say... smoking, it's a deadly road!

A Good Sunday

This has been a good week for me spiritually. First of all my eyes of judgement again were lifted and I was able to see a child of God as He sees them. For a few years I have struggled to understand this individual and Friday I was able to see something that softened my heart and in turn I was able to share the experience with Kent and I believe he too softened his heart. For many years in college I really struggled with being judgemental and I had a great change of heart, but it is still a sin that I struggle with at times.

I think that today was the icing on the cake that I needed. First of all we had the lesson of reverence out of the Spencer W. Kimball book. I really needed that lesson. I didn't realize how irreverent I am and what I can do to change. I promise to work really hard to change my irreverence. In fact these are my reverence goals: First I want to be early to church every Sunday so I can sit and listen to the prelude music. Next I want to be more sensitive to people taking the Lord's name in vein and if I hear it I want to change the channel or correct those whom I hear using it. Finally my last goal is to keep my talking in the chapel down to an absolute minimum and if necessary to talk I will exit to the foyer to do so. I will try to be better at using the sabbath day for worship only.

Then I realized in sunday school how great my desire is to preread the sunday school lessons. The teacher was asking the class if anyone knew what happened in this bible story and NO ONE raised their hand... not even me. There used to be a time when I preread the lesson and I knew what was going on, and I'd like to learn the scriptures for myself not from what the teacher tells me they read. Also the lesson helped me to realize how the Lord loves all people and His judgement does not keep Him from extending His hand of love. I too need to reach out and show more love to those around me. As well I need to gain a testimony of all of our latter-day doctrines so I can be faithful and support the prophets fully.

Now on to our great sacrament meeting. The first speaker returned from her mission to Germany three months ago. She spoke of the joy that came from people who joined the gospel. She also spoke of an Iraqi whom she taught. She said that he had all kinds of troubles and one day he found himself on his knees in prayer. Now this isn't uncommon for a man of muslim faith, but what was uncommon was that he found himself praying in the name of Jesus Christ which was something he was always taught not to do. Two days later he was found by the missionaries and received the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then this sister spoke of two people she had taught one who had been baptized and them rejected the gospel. The other was preparing to be baptized and decided the night before not the be baptized. She was so saddened by the choices of these two, but realized that in the gospel of Jesus there is always hope for us to change. If not now then we may change later.

Finally a member of the high counsel came and spoke to us. He said many things that spoke to my heart, but one thing in particular struck me and that was that when life gets hard we want an easy button like the staples commercials show, but God is smarter than that. As the saying goes, "I never said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it." I would love an easy button, but I am grateful for an all knowing God that has allowed me to struggle so that I might remember to turn to Him and follow Him. I am so very grateful to my Savior whose heart holds a place just for me. I am thankful that I reread the sacrament hymn #187 today to learn that truth. "What debt of gratitude is mine, That in his off'ring I have part And hold a place within His heart." I hope and pray that I may do better in this coming week in holding Family Home Evening with my family. I also pray that I will read my scriptures and say my prayers faithfully.

Looking for My Good Man

Wanted : My Husband

Braxton and I used to see this man... probably the last time we saw him was the day this picture was taken (OK so slight exaggeration). I do miss him though. We used to do so much together and these days life has become so busy that we just don't see him and when we do he is too tired to play with us. So if you see this man and he has a smile on his face and is having a good time then send him our way because we'd like to enjoy him while he is awake. I am also worried about him because it seems that he is joining the "church of the foyer." For those of you who don't know that is where all the "important" people congragate to do important work when they should be in sunday school. In fact the other day I thought that Kent had been called to be the head of the church of the foyer because after sunday school I walked into the foyer and he had pulled a table over to the cushy chair he was sitting in and was filling out paper work. I now call the foyer his personal office. Anyhow enough of that. I wish to beg and plead with you to send my good husband back my direction because I miss him, and for once I would like him all to myself. Go ahead call me selfish because I've been sharing him with Braxton for over a year now AND I DON'T WANT TO SHARE SOMETIMES... (For those who don't know (Kent) those times are called dates)! Thank you for your time and patience and I appologize for the yelling.

The inner workings of Braxton's brain

Braxton's version of helping with the laundry

If you chance to meet a smile do not let it stay!

For a few weeks now Braxton has been giving these hilarious dirty looks to people. I knew I had to get it on film, but every time I tried to take a picture Braxton would smile for the camera. Finally I got my pictures and here is the great faces he is pulling... I just keep laughing at these pictures every time I look at them! It is SO funny! I also had to share Braxton's exceptional helpfulness last night. I finished Braxton's laundry and put the pile on the couch to fold and Braxton came over to help...of course his help was to take all the clothes off the couch and throw them onto the floor. Then when he got done with that he would pick up all the clothes and put them on the couch and back and forth like that. It kept him entertained for at least a half an hour. I took pictures and video of him doing it. If I can ever figure out how to post videos on here I'll have a few good ones for you to look at! Enjoy!

What an adorable towel monster!

This last picture I had to add because his pacifier got stuck in his toy and he kept picking it up and trying to suck on it while it was still stuck in there. He is SO funny!

I wonder if the people in my head are listening?

I'm exposing my loony side today. I'm flashing my white jacket and all. I was minding my business cooking chicken and just thinking to myself. When the tabloids popped into my head with the headline of Lindsay Lohan coming to Utah for rehab. Well first off I had to tell myself how stupid it is that the news is telling us this. Who cares? Are all my friends going to rush up to Park City for a visit in hopes to catch a glimpse of Lindsay sober? Well as thoughts ran themselves I came to the Paparazzi and dreamed a scenario of meeting one and having a discussion with them. This was my discussion.
Marlies: So what do you do?
Paparazzi: I am a journalist for the Enquirer.
M: So you are the paparazzi?
P: Oh no, I am not like that. I report on important stories.
M: Well I think you have a pathetic job torturing famous people. So what if they have a glamorous job does that really mean you have to invade their lives? I mean who really cares about how many times Brittney Spears got wasted? I don't! I think that if you know her personally then maybe you would care to help her, but I don't know her and I don't care what stupid choices she is making. Maybe I would care if she had gone through some tragic ordeal and I could look to her as an example, but she is NO example of anything good. Besides what is with you guys getting in their faces and causing them physical danger in order to avoid you? Do you think that you are doing society a favor by causing dangerous accidents so you can get a quick picture of Reese Witherspoon and her child? Do you think that my life is that pathetic that I am going to pick up your worthless "newspaper" and buy it? Oh NO! Even if I did care, don't you think I would rather see them on Oprah, Ellen or Montel Williams? Of course I would...!

So it was at this point that I thought maybe I should go find my straight jacket. I thought here I am having a conversation in my head with the paparazzi. I know you are all thinking I am very hard on myself, but I have another confession... this is not the first conversation I have had with someone in my head. In fact I often times have this running dialogue on fast Sunday where I bear my testimony to myself and if the spirit moves me I go up and share that particular testimony. So there you have it I don't know if the voices in my head are listening, but I know I am talking to them. I'm hoping that this admission will help put someone else at ease inside so maybe they can accept their inner straight jacketness. All I have to say is that the inner dialogue in my head is much more entertaining than the "Days of Our lives" soap opera and their inner voices out loud!

six degrees of blogging

OK so I found a new game... it is called the six degrees of blogging and it actually lead me to a family I knew. So here's the game. I clicked on my friends the Stucki's link (1) and then clicked on her brother Neal's link (2). Then I clicked on one of his links to the Bell family (3). Then over to the Melville's in Vermont (4). Then on the Cahoon family blog (5) and finally the Bowler family (6) who we know. The funny thing is we are actually pretty good friends with Shayn Bowler's parents and used to go riding in their arena when Kent and I were dating. We've been in their home quite often. Anyway I had to share because I just find it hysterical that I found someone I knew in exactly six exchanges. I may have to keep up on their site. http://shaynandkristen.blogspot.com/

A Little Less Talk and a lot More Pictures.

Mom, could I get a little water please. This swimming pool is just too dry!

Oh man! My mom is gonna be so happy I reorganized these diapers... they were a mess before.

Braxton not only gets into his own diapers, but he also got into our neighbor Kaitlyn's diapers.

Mmmmm mom yummy cool whip. Since Braxton is such a huge boy he gets a diet full of good fatty foods. Too bad mom still makes him eat veggies! :)

Kent was fishing with the kids at Fish Lake in June & Braxton helped his daddy reel the fish in.

He didn't even seem to mind touching the fish.

11:15

So it's eleven fifteen and I can't seem to sleep. All I can do is sit there and blog in my head so I may as well blog online. I was lying there thinking about my vacation to Kanab and all the cute sayings in Holly's brother's beautiful home. The one I liked the best was "Cleaning the house while the children are growing is like plowing the walk while it is still snowing." Then I thought about the saying our friend bought for her daughter-in-law. It said, "A mother of boys works from son up to son down." Then as I got thinking about the popularity of vinyl lettering I realized that my grandma had her own form of vinyl lettering. Back then they were called plaques. I had to update the blog I wrote for my grandma. Her most famous plaques were, "no matter where I serve my guests, they seem to like my kitchen best," and her other one had men singing barbershop quartet (so I guess that one was Grandpa's) and it had the letters SPEBSQSA. The letters stood for "Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America." We would joke that they stood for, "Some People Especially Bishops Should Quit Singing All together." Whenever you would repeat that Grandpa would always get his silly grin on his face. He was always such a tease. Ok well I can't seem to get anything else to come to mind that makes any sense. It's much like the things Kent says to me as he is falling asleep. In fact as I was tossing and turning I tried to cuddle up to him and he said to me, "Babe your crushing us." When I asked who I was crushing he stated, "Me and my kid." Funny thing is Braxton is tucked safely in his crib so I don't know exactly how I was crushing him. Oh well I better stop there because I can go on and on about Kent talking in his sleep. Once he gets dreaming you'd better watch out because he'll put you to work digging trenches and the like. Then he starts giving you the most odd directions. I have to say though that I love that about him it often makes for an interesting nights sleep. Luckily he falls asleep before I do or he may just catch me looking for raindeer as I did in my sleep on Christmas eve when I was a young girl. Cheryl told me all about it the next morning. Ok well off to bed I go. Hopefully this time the sandman will come and put me out. Nighty Night!