Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Book Reviews- January


I love reading. But I really love listening to books on CD. I started this new thing where I rent LDS books and listen to them in my car as I'm driving between patients. Between this and Laura's books she's lent me from audible, Ive been able to do some extensive studying and learning. These are some of my favorite reads this year.
I guess I read this last year, but Ive been thinking about it this year with my new years resloultions. This is a great book that help you examine what is really important to you and what your motivations are behind your actions. It motivated me to think about my happiness, clean out my closets, appreciate short but sweet workouts, buy a guitar, get a pedicure and enroll myself in volleyball class.
LOVED this book. I don't know if it would have been as interesting to me if I hadn't been having my "Virginia Experience." Here we are still living some of the controversy between races. At work people still whisper when they talk about "those black men, you know how they can be..." This book was narrated by 4 different women and I could totally relate to each of them. I kept thinking, "I know someone who talks just like that" and I could totally picture them in my mind. I am proud of how far we have come as a country, but we still have a long way to go in this department.
Just finished this book today. LOVED it. It's by a pediatrician who sites the scientific reasons why we need to get our boys outside laying in forts and away from violent TV and videogames. She said to think of a boy as a whole and not just how he performs or even acts. She said the number one predictor of whether a boy would become a successful man was how much time he spent with his father. Not quality time, just time. period. Made me want to double the ammount of time I spend with my boys and to be present- to listen and really hear them.

Journaling





I have been thinking alot about things and have decided that I need to be better about journaling. So I decided I'm going to write more on my blog and see if I can figure some things out about myself and the ways that I look at the world. I want to start out by saying that I love my Life! I am so blessed to have a wonderful family, beautiful children, a wonderful job, good friends and happy childhood memories. I am grateful for the bounties that God has blessed me with. We have been blessed to be able to pay off alot of our student loans, I start work when I want to and finish whenever I'm done. I can work 5 hours during the day and then another couple hours when the kids are in bed. I'm able to go volunteer at Jack's school and my job pays for continuing education (aka a short educational vacation every year :). I have a great job. We live across the street from some great friends who we are very involved with and are a great support to us. I would like to keep reminding myself of these things and also get to know myself better by exploring some of my idiosyncracies such as:

-Why do I not realize how good something is until it is gone or I've lost it? It's easier for me to look back on something with rose colored glasses while under-appreciating what I have right now.

- Why can I not make myself take a shower unless I have exercised or swam? Seriously sometimes I go for days waiting to get a chance to exercise so I can sweat enough to take a shower.

-Why can't I complete a food diary for more than 3 days or why can I not go more than 3 days without eating sugar?

-Why do I think that I want to be a full time stay at home mom, but whenever I am home I just want to take my kids and get out of the house?

- Why am I so influenced by commercials? Commercials can make me crave pizza or want to go on vacation or take a nap, basically anything...

-Whenever I hear of a new parenting technique or the way someone I respect is cutting out TV or minimizing their lifestyle I feel like I need to do it as well. Why? I love books on tape especially LDS books and uplifting parenting books but I don't love the guilt that comes with it if I am not able to apply all I've learned.

- Speaking of this I want to minimize, but I love buying stuff. It's fun and I can always think of a reason I might use it in the future even if I recognize that I don't really need it.

- I've spent my life trying not to become my mother but now I think I would love to be like my mom and even become a teacher like my mom.






Thursday, December 22, 2011

Merry Christmas






I haven't posted much so I thought I'd catch up a little...

Our biggest achievement of the year is the addition of Ms Lillianna Joy Evans now 7 months and growing like crazy. She is a sweetheart and has inherited her brothers love of food. She started solids and now wants to et EVERYTHING but especially plastic. The other day I was nursing her and had been for about 15 min when I noticed something green in her mouth and it was a piece of a Christmas Light! I pray we can keep our floors vacuumed and stay out of the ER.

Here are the kids by our not so fashionable Christmas tree. When Adam and I first got married, we had a beautiful color coordinated tree with ribbon and a star. Now our tree is officially a hodge podge. One of my favorite traditions is to receive an ornament each year usually in memory of a vacation or something that we remember that year. My parents have been doing this since I was born so I have 30 plus ornaments just myself, plus Adams and each of the kids and a few extra special handmade paper ornaments that may not make it to next year. This years tree is especially hodge podge because last year I thought Id be smart and buy a clearance tree- well it doesn't fit in our living room so we had to leave the top section off leaving the top of our tree flat. I fashioned a GIANT bow out of decomesh to camoflauge the top which I think works pretty well.

We are still in Virginia and enjoying it very much. We love this picture because it shows the calendaresque sights we see all fall here. Adam keeps working hard as First Counselor in the Branch Presidency and has one year left of school before he will gradate in Electrical Engineering Technology. I think I am on my tenth calling but for now I teach the 10 and 11-year old girls in primary, teach Actitivity Days and organize all musical activities (aka choir, Christmas program, Christmas party entertainment) It's fun and we definately stay busy. We are so grateful for our friends, our family and the Gospel of Jesus Christ which all give joy and meaning to our lives. With Love,
Adam, Becky, Jack, Charlie and Lilly

Monday, September 5, 2011

Back to Virginia and Jelleystone

Since coming home from Utah, a lot has happened. Becky started back to work and then the boys all started school, Jack had his first day of kindergarten, Charlie started preschool, Adam started College and Lilly started to be tended by Sister Hodnett for a few hours each morning while Adam is in class.

On Aug 12th we celebrated 8 years of happily ever afters. I can’t believe it has been that long, but at the same time, I feel like we have been together forever. To celebrate, we took the whole family to Jelleystone. We met Yogi the bear and had dance parties with him and Boo Boo and Ranger Rick. We had a blast going down the water slides and jumping on the big jump pillows.

We went on Safari at Safari park and rode in the back of a wagon and fed Emu, Buffalo, Elk, Llamas, Zebra and goats out of our buckets of food. The llamas were naughty- they tried to steal our buckets!! The boys had a blast and we took videos of ourselves dumping food into the buffalo’s mouths. We also fed a giraffe and carried both Charlie and Lilly once they got tired.

We have settled back into a routine and after a rough start for Jack, school routine is getting easier. For Labor Day, we got to go down to Fayetteville and visit Matt and Mandy and their adorable family. We went out on their boat and just visited and played- it was so nice. Adam keeps telling me that I seem so much happier now that I’ve got my friendship batteries recharged by one of my best friends. I can’t wait for them to come visit us at our house. I’m so glad that we are finally living close enough to visit.

Weborrowed an RV from Bro and Sis Sechrist which was so fun because we had air-conditioning!
While on Safari, we weren't supposed to feed animals with horns but we could set it under our seats and the animals would come up and lick it off the wagon.
Jack feeding an Emu
Me feeding a camel and holding on very tightly so that my bucket didn't get swiped. As Dora says, "Swiper, no swiping!"
Jack and Boo Boo the bear. After we got home, we had to rent Yogi the Bear movies.
The boys got drenched on their wagon ride and Jack saved his last squirt to get me wet.
First and Only fish
I'm thinkin, I'm thinkin'...
Going down the slide at the water park
Evil turtle at the Safari Adventure
First Day of School!!
Lilly's Blessing Day in Aug.

Jack rockin the kneeboard
We had to buy a new tube to replace the tippy tube and we love it! Its green and very fast.
Matt and Mandy's boat on their private lake in their awesome neighborhood.
Eli
Wendy