The Sun Makes Life Happier

This pic is dedicated to Aunt Carlie

 Scattered through this post will be photos that have nothing to do with what I'm talking about.  Enjoy!

Theo put on this "necklace" all by himself!

 Spring is in full swing around here.  There are sweet little leaves everywhere; all the flowering trees are even starting to drop the petals in exchange for them. We have had sunshiny days for almost a week straight!  That is so impressive, because there were times in the winter when I doubted I would ever see the sun again.

Look at those precious eyes

 We go on at least one walk a day, and freak out with excitement at every dog we see (we see quite a lot of them). Shrieking, flailing, running then freezing. It's a to do! I'm glad my little man is so happy and excited about the world.

One of us is happier than the other

 Last Wednesday was Corbin's and my third anniversary.  It was wonderful.  We went to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner, did a little shopping afterwards, and ended the night with a carton of Moostracks ice cream. It was so nice to have him all to myself, and not be distracted by a small man running about.  Thanks, Gullys, for taking him!

But maybe we can do a little smile for Daddy's sake

 In fact, I got to spend quite a bit of Theo-free time last week.  I sure love him, but it was a good break.  I got to go to the temple with some ladies from the ward, while Theo and Corbin played at home. 

I love the peaceful feeling in the temple, and the sense that He has a plan for me, and that everything will work out. I love feeling so close to the Lord whenever I go.  Usually when I attend the temple, I ponder more eternal-based plans and timelines.  But on Thursday, I focused on what it all meant for me right now as a 24 year old mom and wife.  I think peace was what I most needed, and I felt it there in a way I couldn't find anywhere else.

A little off the shoulder number

 Then on Saturday I went to the Stake Relief Society Women's Conference.  Again, Corbin stayed home with Theo for the whole morning.  (This is a big deal, because he usually had band practice then.  Also, he has his big exams coming up, so I appreciate the time sacrifice he made.  I love that guy!)

I got to sing in the main meeting, Everywhere I Go. I had a lot of tender mercies shown me through this song.  One being that my throat had been hurting pretty bad for a while, and I was worried I would be worn out by the time I had to sing.  But I had a burst of clarity and sang it as well as ever.  I think it added to the spirit of the meeting, and I knew it couldn't have happened without Him.

 This week, I have tons of goals I will try to accomplish.  I want to clean at least one portion of my house every day.  I want to study the scriptures every day.  And I want to exercise every day.  I think these are reasonable goals to set in a week long timeframe. 

 I've been exercising every day for about two weeks, doing various things.  Today I went running for the first time in a looooong time.  Part of me is tempted to belittle myself by saying, "you only 'ran' one mile, downhill, then only powerwalked the mile back, and you felt like you wanted to die when you finally got home." But the other part of me cheers, "you got out of the house at 8 AM with a toddler and got active!  That is one step closer to being 'fit,' and that is awesome!"

I'll admit, I was excited to blog about that, because running is something I like, and I wanted to share that with you.

 Plus, look at my running track.  The winter was so so so long and cheerless without the sun, but it helps me appreciate this beautiful spring that much more.  I'm grateful to live in such a beautiful neighborhood of a beautiful city.

And yes, I did feel like dying a little bit when we got home, but I lived to run another day!!!

I suppose this isn't the best note to end on, but I saw another mouse in our bedroom last night.  I don't feel like my house is any messier or food-covered than any other home with a toddler, but I also feel like we get way more mice.  Am I just a slob?  Little mice, go outside now.  It's warm and pretty, and I don't want you here!

All in all, I'll take a little sour with the big sweet I have.