Erika's Journal

It's been a while, I know. I am alive and I feel like myself again:) It's amazing how much two back-to-back pregnancies can make you feel like a different person. I hope to be able keep up with my blog better so be on the look out!

An Apostle of the Lord

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to speak to the Greensboro Stake this past Sunday. He was amazing! I know this is going to sound crazy, but when I first joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and heard him speak the first time I knew that there was something about him. Something that was going to touch me personally and EVERY talk that he has ever given since that feeling has been a tremendous help and turning point for me in my continued spiritual progression. Here were a few thoughts he left with us:

*That moral agency is to choose to love one another and to choose God. Too many times we say we have agency so we 'choose' to stay home from church or 'choose' to obey one commandment and not another. However, Elder Bednar reminded us that when we were baptized that we came under 'terms and conditions' of Heavenly Father's making and therefore we must use our moral agency to choose the right. The example he gave was perfect:) A child says to his father that he's going to use his agency to choose not going to church. The father says to his child that he will either choose to walk to church or ride. I LOVE this! Elder Bednar went on to say that as parents we should be 'kicking and screaming' to guide our children back to Heavenly Father. How can we expect them to choose the right and live the gospel if we let them 'choose' otherwise?

*That going to the temple is about more than just going for yourself or not enough after you go the first time. That it is about the covenants and ordinances that are done there so go often.

*That spiritual power will not come from checking things off a checklist. I prayed today...check...we held Family Home Evening...check...we had scripture study...check. Spiritual power comes from living the gospel for real!

*That living the gospel standards no matter how many, is easier than going through this life without the gospel. When he made this particular statement it had so much intensity behind it and it was amazing! Do we really think it's easier to go through tragedy, loss, sickness, or any other trial without this gospel?

Finally, the last thing that I got after the meeting was how people that have been members their entire lives were also refreshed by his message. The things he taught were simple teachings too! It reminded me that I am not alone in my learning process/journey.

Our leadership was truly inspired when they decided that we all needed the gospel principles taught in Sunday School this year:)

I love the Lord and his Gospel and I am so happy that I chose this for my life!

It's been a minute

So I know I haven't been around in a while, but things have gotten busy and I have chosen to hang out with the kiddos over blogging. Instead of trying to catch up I'm just going to start with the current, move forward, and try to keep up again:)

Man, DD is such a great kid! She is talking, getting more teeth, running, jumping, dancing, playing on the big kid slide at the park and at our house. She's also telling us that she's has done something in her diaper, although I am not ready for potty training just yet. She loves her baby sister and they are even starting to "play" together! She is on this kick of saying,"I don't want to" as her yes and no and it's so funny! Jeremy and I laugh hysterically of this one time I asked her if she wanted her pop tart and she said, "I don't want to tar tart!" LOVE it!!!

SD is rolling all over the place, eating rice cereal, sitting up, and going after any and every toy she can roll into:) For some reason I cannot remember what I did as far as food with DD, but I am so behind with SD. She'll be 6 months in a week and she's had cereal only twice! I can't wait to start giving her baby food next month...yum:)

Motherhood has been so much more than I had expected. I am totally in love with my girls and I am so glad that they are in my life. I love to snuggle with SD and tickle DD until she can't stand up and I am looking forward to many more years of wonderful memories with these two (and more...later!).


...Oh and yes, they got their ears pierced! I am SO glad that's over:)

I don't want to tar tart! So that's cereal in her bowl...ha!
(and she was so posing in this picture which is a new thing)

When I asked her to pose so that Aunt Stacie could see her earrings, she folded her arms for the prayer:)

SD playing with the ball or should I say eating the ball!

Singin' Diva

Time is flying and SD is growing before our eyes:) She is such a happy baby. Here are some things she's really good at these days:

Tummy time and pushing all the way up

Rolling from tummy to back

"Talking"

Big open mouth smiles:)

Sleeping through the night AND in her own room

Taking naps

Grabbing for toys

Sucking her thumb (no paci for this girl)

Being cute:)

LOVE you SD!!!

DD Moments - Phrase Edition

Disclaimer: There are so many other words and phrases, but this post would be super long so here are a few funny things DD is saying these days.

"Let me see it"

"No way"

"More pease" (please)

"Hi Momma"
"Bye Momma"
"Cold"

"March, march, march" (while marching around the house, almost like she has a limp and swinging her right arm...ha!)

"Star"

"A book, a book"

"Roar"
"Ilk, ilk" (milk)

"I stuck"

"Olor" (color)

"Push, push...Yo" (turn the TV on and play Yo Gabba Gabba)

and...................................................................

drum roll please...........................


"No!"

I LOVE this girl:)

DD Moments

I wanted to have pictures with this month's post, but my camera is dead and February is almost over. So no pics, but at least we have some moments:)


1.7.10 -DD can fold her arms when you say it's time for the prayer, but we haven't gotten a good Amen yet...until last night. It was so clear.

1.8.10 - I've caught her playing with them before, but today she was so cute. She found a big sunbeam on the floor and started to crawl on it like a balance beam.

1.13.10 - DD now repeats what we say during her prayers. It's too cute! Today she said, "Heavenly Father," "food," and "Amen."

1.17.10 - DD has always loved using her fork to "eat." Today she actually picked up the big fork and started really feeding herself. She's growing up too fast!

1.18.10 - Tonight Jeremy got DD ready for bed so when they came back out to the living room (because it wasn't quite time to go up) she started folding her arms for the prayer. She would walk around and then say "Amen." She's such a smarty! On top of that she repeated SD and BJ's name in her prayer tonight. We pray for SD's hip and Uncle BJ's surgery every night. Very sweet girl we have:)

1.26.10 - DD and Jeremy were watching Yo Gabba Gabba and Tutie was singing the "High Five" song. During the song DD runs over to SD and peels her hand back to give her a "High Five!"

Just hanging out with my girls:)

Such a big girl! Where did my baby go?!?!

Look at that belly:)

Love 'em!!!