Day 6 - You

Grateful for a healthy family after a few days of the stomach flu

Loving this beautiful Arizona weather

Determinedto be more organized with my life. And to conquer that mountain of dishes

Strugglingwith getting Todd to bed

Craving a trip to Disneyland

Looking for awesome art prints for L & T’s room

Inspiredby creative people, uplifting quotes, and Pinterest

Longingfor a large chunk of time to do whatever I want and not feel guilty about it.

Feelingoverwhelmed by the mundane tasks of life. Can I ever catch up?!

Impressed by Lucy’s drawing skills                  

Eating chips and salsa for lunch

Attendingcardio classes at the gym…periodically

Entertainingthe idea of sewing library book bags for the kids

Re-realizinghow good Kit Kat bars are

Finding it hard to cook dinner when my husband isn’t home for it. Looks like we’re having sandwiches again…

Acceptingthe fact that school will just have to wait for another time in life

Knowing that I am doing the best I can. That I am so blessed. And that life is good.

Day 5 - Conversation

I look forward to his phone call every morning. It’s become a ritual. He hurries off to school with the breakfast and lunch I’ve made for him, kisses us all goodbye, and before I know it we’ve hardly had a chance to say hello to each other. Which is why I make sure I’m available to answer the phone when he calls me in about twenty minutes. He has about a ten minute walk from his car to his morning class, and instead of listening to music, reviewing notes, or just having a quiet walk, he calls me. Sometimes we talk about important things, other times not so important. But who cares…we talk. For the most part, it’s a chance for us to tell each other “I love you” and to wish each other a good day, because I might not see or talk to him again until late. Though our conversation is brief, the act of him pulling out his phone to call me (me!) speaks so loudly. It’s little things like this that show me he loves me, that he cares about me, that he’s thinking about me even though his load is so heavy these days. 
I’ve asked him to never stop calling me, even when there’s nothing to say... I like hearing him whistle too.

Day 4 - Spirit

I have always been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In other words, I am a Mormon. I know it, I live it, I love it.

I know that I am a daughter of our Heavenly Father. I know that He loves me and is aware of my needs. I know that I can depend on my Savior during difficult times. He gives me strength.

I pray on a daily basis. Beside my bed, before eating, in the car…anywhere and everywhere. I give thoughts of gratitude because how could I not?! There is so much to be grateful for! I try to read my scriptures every day, but sometimes the day escapes me. I look for opportunities to serve others. The Sabbath Day is the highlight of my week and we are sure to always attend church.

I love the peace and security I feel because of my religion. I love the constant growth I experience. I love having faith. I love that my family is eternal.

I am a Mormon and I am a happier person because of it.

Day 3 - Read

One of my favorite jobs ever was when I worked at Barnes and Noble. The name itself sounds so studious. I loved coming to work in the mornings before there were any customers. The aroma of crisp pages and freshly bound books filled me with such joy! The books were all straightened on the shelves, patiently waiting to be cracked open. What adventures were going to be had that day? A sail across a tempest sea? A daring prince rescuing a princess? A first kiss? The possibilities were endless!

I often worked in the children’s department. Upon being hired, I requested that that be where I was scheduled the most. I loved seeing children get excited over favorite characters and discover new ones! I loved recommending my favorite books in hopes that others would come to love them too. I loved being in charge of story time where I could make a book come alive and see the captivated faces of my tiny audience.

Magic happens from the pages of a book. And it can happen at a very young age.

With a home of my own now, I have a lot of books. Books about parenting, relationships, and faith. Some adventure books, some romance books. Books that have never been read. I just like thelook of books. I like the way their presence makes me feel. 

I hope my children come to love books the way I do. If not, I’ll make them! More trips to the library! More bedtime stories! More, more, more! Reading is an important part of my life and reading to my children is essential. 

Day 2 - Morning

If you were to ask me if I were a morning person or night owl, I’d say I favor the mornings. But with that being said, mornings are rough for me. Much of my morning is determined by the night before. Were the kids up several times? Did I stay up late? How many bathroom visits? You get my drift. My nights are hardly restful these days. With three kids ages four and under, I’m never off the clock.

Some mornings are extremely productive and I feel like patting myself on the back and awarding myself a gold star (go me!). Other mornings, all I can do is roll out of bed, pour the begged for cup of juice, and plop down on the couch. Those mornings are unfortunately filled with bowls of cereal, Dora the Explorer, and pajamas until noon. I’m not proud of those days. In fact, I’m not proud of many days. I’m a work in progress.

My ideal morning would be to wake up at least thirty minutes before my children and ready myself for the day without any distraction– pray, read my scriptures, maybe start a load of laundry, ect. It just makes sense! (And I’ve done it a few times!) But those few extra moments cuddled in my warm bed next to the man of my dreams are heavenly. The day can most definitely wait.

I’m a light sleeper. I don’t think I used to be, but I have become one since having kids. I can hear my kids coming out of their room long before they make it to my bedside, all the while trying to guess if it is Lucy or Todd coming to wake me up. 50/50 chance. I’m grateful when Lucy is up first. I can give her instructions and she so readily complies. Todd, on the other hand, will stand next to my side of the bed begging for whatever it is he wants and pulling on my arm until I give in. “Juice, mommy! Juice!” over and over again. Persistent little bugger! Not what I want to wake up to. My favorite is when Annie wakes up first. I bring her back to bed with me where she will lay between her father and I and “talk” while playing with her toes and I can close my eyes for a little while longer. Though, most often she is clawing at both mine and my husband’s faces begging for us to play with her.

I know consistency is key, and I know from experience that the morning can really determine the rest of the day, but I just haven’t found my groove yet. I’m hoping that as the kids get older and as they start school, things will fall into place a little better. It’s just hard. This young stage of motherhood is tough. But I’m trying. I’m really trying. Not every day is going to be ideal.

In the meantime, I’m going to relish those morning snuggles with my kids before they outgrow me.

Oh please never outgrow me!

31 Things

I've signed up to take a workshop with Ali Edwards called 31 Things where for the next 31 days I will be given a topic along with prompts to encourage writing regarding everyday things. I'm excited to see how this next month pushes me! I'm planning on posting my entries for the next 31 business days. Fun, right?! Want to join me in the workshop? You should! It's only $31 and registration ends on the 29th. Here is the WEBSITE

So here it goes!

Day 1: Jewelry

My Nana’s bedroom was the perfect room for snooping around in. She always had hidden treasures that any little girl would find valuable. From loose change and purses, to dolls and toys, there was guaranteed to be something to pique one’s interest. But somehow I’d find myself over in her jewelry. Just looking. I’d sometimes graze my fingers along the dangling necklaces and watch them sway until they stopped and silently dangled once more. She had bracelets and rings and earrings of all sorts strewn across her vanity. What could someone do with all that jewelry?!

Well, she knew what to do.

She was always well adorned. Beautiful and refined. You could hear her coming down the hall because of the bracelets that jingled on her wrists. They sang a magical tune which matched the bounce in her step. I especially loved when she’d wear her holiday jewelry. I wonder if she wore it just to appeal to us grandkids. Cause it worked.

My Nana passed away a few years ago and left many things for us to remember her by. Just recently, my mother brought home a large box of necklaces for us to go through and pick any pieces that we’d like to keep. I quickly jumped on the opportunity to go through them, wanting to find something that would speak to me and that would resemble my Nana. And I found it! Hidden behind a ton of gold chained necklaces was a quaint silver cuckoo clock. I instantly fell in love with it! What a treasure! It was as if it was left there for me to find one day. I’d like to imagine my Nana placing it in her jewelry box with a fleeting thought of maybe one day one of her granddaughters will have it.

Well, I now hold it dear to my heart. I wear it more often than not and I love that when I get compliments on it, I instantly tell them it belonged to my grandmother. It makes it all the more special. 

Squire Family Photos

This is my beautiful family. I love them. A whole lot.

For those who don't know my mother, she's my hero. For one she's beautiful inside and out, and two, she had three pregnancies and five children. That's right...TWO sets of twins! Me and my brother, Steven (on the far right) and my two sisters. I don't know how she did it. I just don't know.

So let me introduce you to my family:

Alex, Anna, Todd, Shauna (Me), Lucy, Christina, Dad, Mom, Laura, Mikael, Henry, Ronnie, and Steven.

The Holidays

Alex and I are blessed to have both families within minutes of each other. It makes it easy to always go to the same town every holiday, but it is also very difficult managing time between the two families. This year, Thanksgiving was with my family and Christmas was with his. 

I was particularly suuuuper excited for Thanksgiving for this reason:

Mr Henry!! 

We hadn't met Henry yet and I couldn't wait to get my hands on that squishy little boy! Ooo I just want to squeeze him! Henry is 2 months older than Annie. They're already good pals.

Have you ever seen a Thanksgiving Tree?!? These pictures don't do it justice. Simply magical!

My wonderful grandparents whom I absolutely love and adore!

My great aunt Marian.

Henry!! (And his beautiful mama!)

"Nuggle me, Mommy!" (picture courtesy of Lucy)

My parents' dog, Brodie. According to Lucy and Todd, every dog they see is "Brodie" 

(picture also by Lucy)

Christmas at the Geyers

The traditional Christmas Eve program. 

The kids have an absolute blast dressing up and sharing their talents!

I tried dressing Todd up as a shepherd, but he insisted on being a Storm Trooper instead.

The newest addition to the family - Corbin! Just the sweetest little guy! I love brand new babies. Especially him!

I especially love this guy right here too!

Another gorgeous tree! I need some of this tree decorating business to rub off on me

 Lucy giving the baby Jesus some loves 

Christmas morning

I'm amazed at how relatively patient my children are on Christmas morning. 

They loved seeing a couple over-sized gifts with their names on them. Santa's pretty great. 

The one thing Lucy begged Santa for - a Doc McStuffins doll! I'm telling you, this girl knows and loves anatomy and anything involving doctors. She's a daddy's girl.