Are you sure it's Christmas time?

I am having an extremely difficult time getting into the spirit of the holidays this year. Perhaps it's because we are moving on the 31st and therefore I did not bother to put up any decorations. Maybe it's because I won't be with my family this year. We'll be in Delaware with Mike's family...I love them and we have a good time with them, but it's never the same as being with your own family and experiencing the traditions you grow up with. Of course it could also be the depressing events that have taken place in my life in the past couple weeks.

No matter what the cause, I have put myself on a hunt to 'find my spirit.' The best way I could think of to do this was to throw myself into some spiritual soul searching and taking care of my family. We have an awesome Bishop who stopped by the other day and brought me his sincerest apologies and a book to help ease my pain. I devoured every page of said book within 45 minutes and it has been a huge help in putting my mind and heart at ease. I also have a wonderful husband who has been a great source of strength and compassion the past couple weeks. He lets me talk or cry when I need to and distracts my attention at all other times. Dylan has decided to come out of the terrible two's for the time being and has truly been the light of my life. He is a ball of constant energy from 4am until 7pm every day. He is learning so many new things and finally talking up a storm. My mother has also been a huge help. She came to town in the midst of trying to get ready for their holiday trip to Ohio. I am so greatful that she was willing to drop everything to come to my aid. I have also discovered what amazing friends I have. I've always known that I lucked out in the friendship department, but I have been overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and support I have felt from everyone. Can you tell I've been trying to count my blessings?

In the midst of counting my blessings and trying to find the Christmas spirit, I have also been re-aquainting myself with my Savior. At a time when I could be angry and ask 'Why me?'...I have let myself lean on the Lord for support and strength. I'm all of a sudden understanding that He never leaves me alone. I have felt His arms encircle me with love and he is carrying me through my most difficult life trial.

So, while I still haven't gotten into the festivities of the holiday season, I think I finally found my 'Spirit.'

Party Time!

I'll get to the Birthday Party details momentarily. I just wanted to share this picture that I took using my Christmas present. Dylan and I had a fun day at the park the other day. He ran around, climbing on everything while I played with my new Canon Rebel.

Okay, now for the important stuff. We celebrated Dylan's birthday by having a party for him and all his little friends at The Little Gym yesterday. I cannot even begin to tell you what a great idea it was. I paid Little Gym a small sum of money and they took care of everything but the cake. All we had to do was show up no sooner than 10 minutes before party time and we got to enjoy an hour and a half of pure fun.

Dylan always loved going to his class at the gym, so I figured he would enjoy returning for a couple hours. I was not prepared, however, for just how much the boy would love his party. From the moment the gym doors were opened, he was running and laughing and screaming. He was just so ecstatic to be there. LG runs the party like one of their classes for an hour and then they have a party room where you can do cake and presents for a half hour. It was the perfect amount of time for 2 and almost 2 year olds.

We had an awesome turnout, which I totally wasn't expecting. I usually expect to have about half the invitees show up. We only had two not come! Most of the other kids hadn't been to LG before, so it was just as much fun to watch them have a good time and explore. I didn't take too many pictures because I was busy laughing at my son. And you will not find any pictures of him opening gifts because he really couldn't have cared less about them once he opened a box of crayons!

Dylan absolutely loved his cake. He took his dear, sweet time enjoying every last bite.

Mike and his mom...they're a little technologically challenged. Ha ha. (Thanks Renee for bringing your camcorder!)

Dylan barely participated in the structured playtime because he was too busy climbing all over all the equipment. That's okay...it was his party and all we cared about was that he had an amazing time.

Being Refined

Due to recent events, this message was extremely touching to me.

Malachi 3:3 "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

"This verse puzzled some women in a scripture study class and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next class. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn´t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy – when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you."

I will admit that I really hate this refining process. Most of the time it is difficult to look beyond the immediate disappointments and pain. I am well aware, however, that God's hand leads me where He wants me to go.

Not Goodbye...Just See You Later!

One of my good friends, Noelle, is moving out of state for a little while. Our group decided to send her off with one last Girl's Night Out and a little something to help her remember us.

Each of us put together a few scrapbook pages from our Girl's Nights and playdates with the kids. It turned out super cute and I know Noelle loved it.

Renee just wanted to show off some of our handiwork.

Heather and Christy giving their best adios smiles.

Jill and I are putting the finishing touches on our work of art.

The whole club. We love you Noelle (& Riley and Chris;))!

Noelle leaving is kind of bittersweet for me. She and her husband are hoping to move back to the area in a year or two, so they didn't want to sell their house. Turns out that Mike and I had been talking about looking for a house to rent recently and Noelle knew that. She offered up a great deal on their beautiful home and the price was right. So, while my friend is leaving for a bit...I'm super excited about 'taking care of' her house while she's gone. Not only does it provide more indoor living space for us, but it has a really nice sized lot with a fenced in backyard. With a dog and toddler, that yard is going to come in handy. It's out in the country, so a little farther away from shopping, but it will be closer to Mike's jobsite. This is going to be a great change for our little family. We'll be moving in the week after Christmas.