divine positioning

So I truely believe that Heavenly Father at times helps "align the stars" or orchestrates situations to help us achieve our (His) purposes or goals. It all started Sunday, I had the opportunity to talk with another young mom in my ward while we both had to nurse. She mentioned that she and three other moms in our ward are doing Joy School preschool together,. Now this is the second year and second group that has done a joy school, and I never heard anything about it till months into it. Secretly I was a little hurt to never have been included or invited, but... oh well. I moved on. Then in the evening I visited some family members I haven't seen I was pregnant with Julia. They threw a little shower for Sean. Well my great aunt put some copies of Desseret News in a bag for me. Still on Sunday I made some preliminary goals for 2013, including engaging the girls in more structured play and learning. I also made a trip to the temple last night for the 8 pm session. Such an amazing experience very many reasons, one of my best EVER!!
Fast forward to this morning. In one Desseret News was an article by Richard and Linda Eyre (creators of Joy School) about large families. They talked of doing the Oprah show about their Values Parenting book. Well it all intrigued me, and gave a little info about Joy School. I have never heard much about JS except that a lot of members did it. I didn't know that members created it etc... Well i got online today and looked at the site... and signed up right then. The more I read on the site the more I am grateful for "finding" it. It is what I need, what the girls need, and what our family needs.
So Cassidy starts Kindergarten in September and will only get one semester of JS but Molly will 2 1/2 years, I am excited. It may just be our girls unless others want to join but regardless, it will be fun as a family to do together.
I am absolutely amazed at how much is available for members. Monthly lessons, themes, there are awesome articles to read. I wish someone would have clued me in a few years ago. I did not know enough to know what to ask. Now I do. Even without Joy School, the ValuesParenting.com site is worth becoming a member. Check it out. If you like it, join, promo code lotzd.

i like to move it

After I got pregnant with Julia I dropped my membership to the gym, because I didn't have the time or energy. So I thought then, and maybe I didn't. But one thing I learned after Julia was a few months old is that I have as much time as anyone else- 24 hours a day. With our children going to bed on the early side (the best decision we made) I had a few hours each night free to do what I wanted or needed to do, including going to the gym. So fast forward to being pregnant with Sean. It wiped my last bits of physical reserve. I knew I needed to get strong again (though I had said that before) if I wanted to be a good mom and person. So I have joined the gym again, for super cheap which is a bonus. I have gone about every other week for different reasons and LOVE it. I go to the Monday night 8pm Zumba class. I love being there where I can spend 60 full minutes focusing on performing the right movement so that I don't look like a dork. In college I studied Kinesiology so I had to take 10 physical education classes and appreciated that I could take two or three a semester. Having a grade attached to working out was great. No matter how unmotivated I was to go work out I was motivated to get a good grade so I would show up. How does this relate? I feel like I joined this class the week before finals. I feel like everyone knows the steps and I don't, which I don't necessarily like. So it forces me to focus. It gives me 60 minutes where the kids and the house and all that is no where to be seen in my mind. I am so glad that I get an hour to myself and for myself.
On the way home from the gym last night I got lost, sort of. I guess I mean I went the long way home. Between our house and the gym are streets that don't know how to be straight. I feel like it's the antithesis of Salt Lake City. Even though I have lived here for six years and driven those roads so many times, I constantly go the "wrong" way, so today I did what I have thought about for months. I bought a GPS. I don't know why I think that is so weird or big but without a smart phone I don't always know how to get to where I need to go. Heck, I don't even know how to get to the gym.
A bunch of little meaningless thoughts but those are the big things at times right?

it's a wonderful life

The girls acting like the captives they are... just kidding.

 

Check out the super curls, the loose curls, and the no curls. Who'd think they were all sisters? Oh and the baby crack is thanks to Julia's new thing about wanting to sit on the potty and wearing big girl panties. I don't know if I am ready to potty train, or if she really is but maybe.

What a ham? She can be the friendliest little girl at times.

She was happy once she had her present from Santa. She wasn't too sure at first about him but once Joe was by her side she was happy.

Just hanging out waiting for the boat parade to start.