Fathers Day 2011

I'm not sure what time it was this morning that I woke up. It took me a minute to realize what had woke me. As I lay there a moment to get my brain working I heard Maycie talking to her daddy. I heard her explaining that she could not get back to her snugly (a blanket that she sleeps with) and her bed. She was not calm about it, in fact she was quite upset. I don't know that anyone else would have been able to understand her, but daddy did. Daddy understood her perfectly.
I almost jumped up to help her. After all it was Fathers Day. Then I stopped. Jeron's side of the bed is closest to the door but most of the time Maycie will still come around to my side of the bed. There was something in Jeron's voice that I could tell it was one of those mornings he was more then happy to get up with her and help her back to bed. Yes, it was Fathers Day. But I know that Jeron loves being a dad more then anything. And I knew he knows things like this are what it means to be a dad! He chooses his work schedule to go in early in the morning so he can be home in the evening for practices, games and family time. He has started getting up at 5am to exercise and read his scriptures so he doesn't take away from family time to do those things. He sacrifices so much for us, and it is what he lives for!
I am grateful for him and the wonderful father he is for our children. The example he sets for all of us! I am grateful for the good example he had growing up in his own father. And that good example that Grandpa Tom still sets for us today. I am grateful for the example of my own father. That he taught me in a way so that I knew what to look for in an eternal companion. Someone just like my dad. A man who respected and upheld his priesthood. A man who loved his family more then himself and would work crazy long hours to support his family if that is what it takes. A man who would love my family as his own and expect me to do the same with his. A man who would teach his children to put the Lord first in all they do.
I am grateful for all of the fathers and father figures in bot Jeron and my life, who have taught us and helped us become better children of God. Thank You, more then words can say! We love you!

Called To Repentance

"A diary is almost worthless unless written daily. We Cannot journalize correctly from memory."

Joseph F. Smith

We got "Life Lessons From Fathers of Faith" for both my dad and Jeron's dad for Fathers Day. I should have gotten a copy for Jeron too! (So I still had a copy!) I was thumbing through it last night reading a few of the stories. It is fun because it is the kind of book you can do that with! As I did so I was called to repentance! I have not been doing so hot (as you all know!) with my blog. I have many many entries running around my head that I am now going to have to do from memory. And as was so eloquently stated by President Joseph F. Smith that just doesn't cut it! I am, however, going to take the approach that it is better then not doing it at all! And from this point forward (I know you have heard all this before) I am going to do better! =)

So I will be adding "blogging" to my list of things to do each day. Maybe then I will actually make the time to sit down and journalize correctly! So hold on tight you are about to have blog over load from The Collins Clan!

My Cute Girls!

The other day we were getting ready to run some errands and was not feeling like "doing" hair! I thought about it and the girls hadn't worn hats in some time so it seemed the perfect opportunity to do so! And then they looked so cute I had to take a couple of pictures! I ended up handing out 3 cards that day! (Thanks mostly to my wonderful husband, who wouldn't let people get two words out before he had told them that I had made then and did, in fact sell them! He is so cute!)

Emma has on the "Lace and Scallops" hat and Maycie has on the "Newsboy"

Aren't they just adorable?!

And I wonder why my children are in no way shape or form humble! =)

Potty Training Rewards!

Before Maycie started potty training she got very interested in Emma and my earings. So I told her she could get her ears pierced when she went on the big girl potty all the time. I knew she was really ready when one Sunday we were over at Jeron's parents house and she started pointing at a barbie doll and saying pee pee and poo poo and pointing to the correct places and then pointing to the Barbie's ears. It took me a minute but I finally got that she was telling Grandma that when she went pee pee and poo poo she could get earings! It actually took her a little while after she was potty trained to want the earings again. But the beginning of March she was all for it! She did really well. She cried for a minute. The best part though was for about the next day or so when you would ask her where her Minnie's were (she got Minnie Mouse studs!) she would point to her ears and say owwiee! After that though she would point to her ear and stick her hip out in the cutest way! I kept telling her we needed to take pictures of her earings, and wouldn't you know it, she just would not let me forget! One Sunday after church she reminded me and we got these pictures!

She is a real poser!

This picture didn't turn out the best but her smile was so cute I just had to put it in!

She turned one way and then the other so I could make sure to get both sides!

And she just knows she is the cute!

Job Update!

I should have done this blog post awhile ago! Jeron will be starting a permanent position on May 2nd at Wells Fargo! We have felt all of your prayers through this time. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts! The job is going to be good for him. He is excited about it. The hardest part now is waiting! As of May he will no longer have to work on Saturday's! (Yippee) He will get a raise and there is an opportunity for good bonuses every month! And we will have insurance as of June 1! We feel really good about the things that are happening for our family and again we thank you! We have truly felt your love and prayers as we have faced this.

Our New Addition!

Yes, we have added a new addition to our family! We are very excited about this and have been waiting and wanting it for some time now! And this weekend it finally happened!

We bought a Suburban!

It is beautiful and everything we were wanting to find!

All the fun features (even if the DVD player is super small!) we wanted and even some extras!

Just the right year and millage.

But most of all it was the right one at the right time!

Some of you may remember a post I did last year about one we almost bought. We thought it was right, but it just wasn't. It was a little older then we wanted to go and had more miles, but... It had this and that, but...

I think we knew it wasn't really right the moment we drove it off the lot! I felt more peace giving it back then I did having it!

This time we drove it a couple of times. Talked to the dealer a couple of times. But most of all we went home and prayed about it, a lot! Jeron and I both felt a lot of peace. Not that it was going to work out for sure, more that the right thing for us would work out. If it wasn't this one it would be another one. When they called and told me that the payment had come even lower then we asked for I knew it was right! It was still more then a little nerve racking! We hadn't bought a car in more then 7 years! And that time we had to because the other van had been totaled!

I am very excited about our new addition! It is fun that it has all the bells and whistles! But it is even more fun thinking about all the places we are going to take it! All the things that we will be able to do with it! The memories and fun stories I hope my children have to share when they are older. I hope it does for them what "Big Blue" did for me as a kid!

Hymns From The Heart: I Know That My Redeemer Lives

My Hymns From The Heart posts have gotten a bit behind! I know! Some of that I was sick but most of it I have just been lazy! Now I'm having Hymn overload! Just in the first session of Conference today there were so many Hymns mentioned that touched me I was amazed! It was wonderful to be reminded how the music we sing is a wonderful window to our spirits! So, now I have a list to draw from if I ever have need. Today I am going to focus on the rest Hymn from the morning session, Hymn #136 I Know That My Redeemer Lives. I used to take this song for granted. But I can no longer sing it without my heart swelling and threatening to take over my whole body! I'm not sure when it happened, or if there was some specific reason. All I know is that I am overwhelmed with the spirit by the words of this song.

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

I know that my Redeemer lives.

What comfort this sweet sentence gives!

He lives, he lives, who once was dead.

He lives, my everliving Head.

He lives to bless me with his love.

He lives to plead for me above.

He lives my hungry soul to feed.

He lives to bless in time of need.

He lives to grant me rich supply.

He lives to guide me with his eye.

He lives to comfort me when faint.

He lives to hear my soul's complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears.

He lives to wipe away my tears.

He lives to calm my troubled heart.

He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives, my kind, wise heav'nly Friend.

He lives and loves me to the end.

He lives, and while he lives, I'll sing.

He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.

He lives and grants me daily breath.

He lives and I shall conquer death.

He lives my mansion to prepare.

He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives! All glory to his name!

He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

He lives! All glory to his name!

He lives, my Savior still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

I could have gone through each line and verse to tell you of personal experiences of why I know that particular line is true. But then this post would be a hundred years long! What I can say is that I testify that the words of this Hymn are true. All of them! I know that my Redeemer lives. I know that when I go to Him my hungry soul will be fed and He will bless me in my times of need. I have felt His comfort many, many times! I feel the joy of this knowledge even now. I know that my Redeemer lives!

Priesthood Power

On March 4th Connor turned 12. On March 6th he was ordained a Deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood. I have been humbled and blessed to be able to watch him pass the sacrament for the last 3 weeks. We have church at 1:00pm right now. I know this should make it easy to be to church on time. But on the weeks that Jeron and I both have meetings throughout the morning it can get a little tricky! Most of the time Jeron's meeting are early so he is home while I'm gone to help the kids stay on track. With Jaxon now being a Teacher we have set the goal to leave the house by 12:30pm so he can be there early to help prepare the sacrament. I have come to really enjoy this time. At first I worried it would be hard on the girls to have to sit still for so long but it really hasn't been. If anything it has been helpful to all of us to have that quiet time to prepare ourselves. As I listened to Conference this morning I was touched. I think it was Elder L. Tom Perry (I can't even remember now - how sad it that!). He talked about our young men preparing and blessing the sacrament just as the Savior did. I called the kids into my room and did a little rewind and pause! This was something I wanted to make sure they got! I had them listen to what had been said again and we talked about their part in the sacrament and how important it is. I was grateful I had taken this teaching opportunity when Connor looked at me with those big eyes of his as big as they would go and says to me, "Mom, I didn't know I was passing the same way Jesus did." I am humbled with the responsibility I have to teach these young men. With helping them understand the responsibilities they take upon themselves with the Priesthood. I am even more humbled as I watch them preform their priesthood duties with a reverence that shows not just myself, but their Father in Heaven as well, that they do understand.

Something Does Not Have To Be Done MY Way To Be Done WELL!

A couple of weeks ago I made a goal to vacuum my living room every night before I went to bed. I found if the living room was clean enough to vacuum in the evening I really liked how it felt the next morning! (And I was more likely to try and keep it clean all day!) Sometimes it didn't happen until 10:30 or 11:00pm but it was happening! And it was even starting to spread to the rest of the house! And then I got sick. It took everything I have just to make it through the day. Vacuuming just isn't going to happen!
Awhile back I got a new vacuum. I got a Dyson! I won't let my children use my Dyson yet. (They have to get a Dyson licence after going through Dyson training!) I don't want my Dyson broken and my children break vacuums! And, well, I have a little problem. I like certain things done certain ways. For example: When Jeron and I first got married he tried to help me fold laundry. I have never let him help me fold laundry again. All because I didn't like how he did it. I did it better, or so I thought. So, I'll be honest. My Dyson is not the only reason the living room has not been getting vacuumed while I have been sick. I like my living room vacuumed in a certain way. I know, you don't have to tell me, I'm crazy!
Well last night I couldn't stand it anymore! I needed that living room vacuumed but I just didn't have the energy to do it. So I asked my sweet and wonderful husband to do it for me. And he said yes! Of course! As he started, in a different way then I do it, I almost said something. Then I stopped and thought (shocking, I know!) I thought about how he was doing this as a favor to me. What kind of person would I be if I told him he was doing this favor wrong? How would I feel if this was reversed? Instead I just watched him for a minute. Guess what I saw...my living room getting vacuumed, well! He did a great job!
Do I still like certain things certain ways? YES! Will I still vacuum my living room they way I always have? YES! Will I still teach my children to do things the way I like them done? YES! However, I am going to give my best effort to NOT re-do things. To see the effort others put in instead of seeing that it wasn't done my way! If my kids find an easier, for them, way to do something and it is still done well then I say go for it! I might even go a little easier on myself. See, I remember being told, "if you can't do something right, don't do it at all!" Which is a great thing, except that when it comes to my house I think, "I don't have time to clean my whole kitchen!" So I don't do it at all! Now, I'm sure when my Great Grandma Rose would say to me, "if you can't do it right, don't do it at all!" This is NOT what she meant for me to gain! So, I'll just have to learn to be happy with "right" being whatever I can get done at that moment!
I'm feeling better, just not 100%. Honestly, I can't wait for the day that I can fold a batch of laundry without feeling like I'm running a marathon, or load my dishwasher without feeling like I'm going to pass out! There is nothing like being sick to make you appreciate being healthy and all the "have to" things I GET to do being a mom! In the meantime I really do appreciate my family and THEIR way of getting things done for me!

Potty Training!

Maycie started showing signs of being ready to potty train before she even turned 2. But I kept making excuses.

"We're in the middle of football season. That would just be WAY too hard!"

Then it was:

"It's the middle of Christmas. All the parties and get togethers. That would just be WAY too hard!"

And then after Christmas I went to the store to get diapers and when I put them in the cart Maycie burst into tears. I didn't fully understand what was happening. I bought them any way. And every time I changed her diaper she would cry, "I no diaper!" So I started asking if she wanted to go on the potty instead. The answer was always yes with no results! So when it was time for more diapers we bought pull-ups instead (I was NOT ready to go cold turkey!) and we really started trying! We had our first success! We were on our way! And then she wouldn't want to try anymore, it just took too much effort! But the moment I would mention diapers we would be back on track!
We tried all kinds of things, and they would work for a day or two and then we were right back where we started. Over time I realized she would do fine if she was in panties and wouldn't even try if she had on a pull-up. So I started telling her if she was awake she wore panties while still putting her in a pull-up if we were out and about. I quickly realized we were to our last hang up one day while I was at a presidency meeting. She told me she needed to go like 3 times but wouldn't go on the "big potty". I hurried home and guess who was still dry! That is right, she held it, and went the moment she sat on her potty! I knew if I could just get her over this hurdle we could say POTTY TRAINED!
It took us a couple of weeks, A LOT of trips to the potty (we even took her little chair with us a few places), and a few accidents but I think we can say we are there! It is still taking a trip or 2 for her to relax (especially those ones that flush by themselves! Those REALLY freak her out!) but she goes...on the "big potty"! At home I don't even think about it anymore! And when we are out I trust her to tell me (for the most part =))! While I have been sick it got a little hard to run her over and over again and have her not go. But there was a little voice (everyone around me plus the one in my head!) telling me, "at least she's not having any accidents!" I'm sure there are still some in our future, but I feel I can safely say that Maycie is potty trained! WAAAHHOOOO!!!!!

Potty training is very hard on you!

In fact, you might say, it is down right exhausting!