So I think that one of the worst feelings in the world is that what you are doing is not enough. That's my feeling tonight. I truly wonder if all of this social media is helpful to our emotional health. But it's not just social media, it's the way we compare our worst selves to everyone else's best selves. So if any of you ever feel the same way, here's to reality. It was a good day. A very typical Sunday at our house. What does that look like without being edited for blogging? Well here goes:
I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way: God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect.
Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.
And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does.
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.
It’s wonderful that you have strengths.
And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses.
God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths,1 but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect,2 and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself.
If you want to read/listen to the whole talk, here it is:
So I really haven't blogged much lately. I would love to pretend that it's because everything else I have been doing is so important, but it's not. I've just been busy with regular life and doing my thing. But the last few months have been full of a lot of fun for us. So here's an update of so many things we've been doing. Back in January I made an attempt to take some family pictures, since Kade is still not officially a member of our family, according to our family photos. We didn't end up with a good family portrait, or a great one of Kaders, but I thought these of the kids turned out cute.
January also brings Parker's Birthday! Parker is such a sweet, competitive peacemaker. If you can figure out of way to put those all together. He shares a birthday with my Grandpa Johnson, so giving him his middle name was very easy. Here they are together.
We had the family over for some cake and ice cream.
We always tell everyone they don't need to bring presents, but they enjoy spoiling our kids. This bow and arrow was a huge hit, that's all they did for about a month. I didn't get a picture, but Grandma Snyder gave him some level 2 books that he loved. Again with the competitiveness, he wants to be sure he's the best reader around!
This is his reaction to the bike that Steve and I gave him.
During the party Parker asked me for a piece of cake. I thought I had already given him some and told him that sure, if he wanted some, he could get it. Well apparently he didn't so when all was said and done and it was bedtime, Parker started crying and said, "I didn't even get any of my birthday cake". Come to find out, he wasn't asking for seconds, he hadn't had any yet. So he stayed up late to eat his own birthday cake.
shout hurray! Which Sienna does, she loves the word "Hooray"! Our little crazy girl is three. Although she is at a sometimes very frustrating stage, she is also incredibly cute. Within the last 24 hours she has said two things that I want to always remember.
First, yesterday we were going by a house and I said, "Who built that house?" Her response, "Don't you know, it was those piggies?" Of course it was one of the three pigs, what was I thinking?
Second, today she was saying the dinner prayer, she is just starting to say them by herself but today asked Daddy to help her. Part way through the prayer she opened her eyes, pointed at Steve and said, "You stop now" then she went back to her prayer, "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." I guess she thought Steve was unnecissarily dragging it out.
We love our little girl.
Birthdays at our house start out with a dollar bill taped to the bottom of your breakfast plate. Here's her dollar!
So wrapped around her finger.
Sienna had a Hello Kitty party with the cousins. They played the balloon popping game. Not sure this was appropriate for a quiet Sunday get together!
Steve and I gave her a vanity because when she isn't busy playing guns and wrestling with the boys, she loves her makeup and hair things.
And the cake!
Parker and Bronsen have both needed to lose a tooth for a couple of weeks. We made them a deal that we would double the toothfairy's loot for whoever wiggled their tooth out first. Parker worked really hard at it. I had given it a pretty good tug and had it all but out. He made a plan that after school that day, before his snack I could pull it.
Can you see the nerves just before?
And the gaping hole afterwards?
For Valentines the kids always enjoy their heart shaped plates and fancy plastic stemware.
Kade loves loves animals. Someday I will get a video of him with our dog to post. But for now, this is his favorite monkey. It sits on a shelf above the changing table and he must have it everytime he gets changed. 
