Sonder

I wanted to share this picture because I had no idea there was a word for this. 

I am always thinking about these things when driving, sitting at a park or even taking in a breathtaking view.

An April of Awesomeness

This month we have so many exciting adventures and things to look forward to!

 One, we can just start with, is that Little Miss Haddie turns SIX months old TODAY!

So happy half birthday to my little gem of a daughter.

It's mind boggling to think about how fast the time with her has flown and all she has accomplished in her short time here with us. It's gone fast, but so much has happend! 

Her most recent accomplishment has been exploring shelves/drawers.

The other day, and this has happend a couple times since, I left her for a minute to go get her some socks. When I came back into the room she was not where I left her but at our table pulling out magazines we have on the lower shelf. I turn her the other direction and proceed to clean up her mini mess when I hear jingles, crashes and giggles. I turn around and she had wormed her way over to her basket of toys and dumped them out all over the place.

Must be that time to start finding some higher homes for some of our things around the house.

For her half birthday I decided I would take her to her newest favorite place today to celebrate. The park! 

Kid loves her swings and sunshine. 

Girl after my own heart.

Also coming up this month we have:

Mommy, Daddy and Uncle Eric Fletcher coming into town-in 2 days!!

Had's six month check up

We can see how much she's grown since the last one!

Conference

What is conference?

Stake Conference

This same day we are having new friends come over for dinner!

MY BEST FRIEND DEBBIE COMES HOME FROM HER MISSION!

Emmett has his last day of the semester and that means only one more semester left!!

We have Emmett's Senior Banquet for his Chemical Engineering Dept.

Dinner and celebrations!

And then....

OUR TRIPS TO CALIFORNIA AND PERU!!!

OHMERGERSH!!! This is going to be one epic month :D

Easter Sunday

This last Sunday was very special. I love my calling as primary teacher! My group of kids are such huge examples to me and they teach me so much without even knowing it. They are so smart and add a lot to my lessons. During sharing and singing time they sing with their hearts and very loudly. Not to be obnoxious, they feel the spirit and just let it flow through them. I see them close their eyes and belt out the hymns. Warms my heart how much they love this gospel and Jesus Christ.
My lesson this week was on the first missionaries. A subject very near and dear to my heart, being a convert. The kids can be hard to get focused and stay that way so somedays I feel like they just don't hear anything I'm saying. Well, to my surprise they do in fact listen, even when they don't show that they do. I shared with them a personal story from after I was baptized...

I had just gotten my wisdom tooth pulled so I looked like a squirrel with bloody gauze coming from my mouth. I could barely speak let alone move my jaw. I was going into a store to get my prescription filled when I saw a man outside the doors. I remember him looking lonely, dirty and tired but still had a smile on his face and was trying to talk to people. I don't think he was asking for money but he was trying to share some sort of information with them. I was in a rush to just get in and out without having to talk to anyone and hopefully not see anyone I knew so I didn't take the time to see what this man was  doing. While standing in line I was thinking I should share my testimony with this man. Then I thought there was no way because I looked a fright and my mouth had just taken an enormous beating. As I was leaving the store I walked by him again and my heart started pounding. It was so hard I felt it in my ears. I remembered that I had some Books Of Mormon in the trunk of my car so I pulled one out and wrote my testimony in it. I walked it back to the man and he was genuinely happy and so sweet as I approached him. (Probably just happy someone was giving him their time).  Not having any game plan on what I was about to do or say, I gave him the book and tried as hard as I could to clearly tell him I knew this book could change his life as it did mine. He looked at me with teary eyes and started asking me questions about it. He sounded so sincere in his questions, like he really wanted to understand. For the few minutes I spent with him, answering his questions, sharing my testimony, flipping through the book with him I had forgotten about my swollen cheeks and major headache. I was just happy to be there with him in that moment. He told me how grateful he was and said he couldn't wait to get home and read it. As I drove away he waved and smiled at me and I saw him flipping through the pages with a giant smile on his face.
I wish I could say I know what happened to that man after I left him that day but I don't. I can only hope he read it, believed it, and let it change his life for the better. Maybe the missionaries found him. Maybe I was that first stepping stone for him to a new direction. All I know is that he was grateful I gave him the time, that he knew I cared about him and that I left him smiling and thirsty to know more.

During sharing time one of the leaders gave the whole class the opportunity to go up one by one and tell us one reason they know that Heavenly Father loves them. Their answers were not ones I would have expected from children their age. "I know Heavenly Father loves me because He sent His son to die for me. " "I know Heavenly Father loves me because He put me in great hands when I broke my arm and made the pain bearable." "I know Heavenly Father loves me because He has given us a way to go back and live with Him again." One of my kids turned to me and said, "You should share that story you told us in class and how Heavenly Father loves that man." Heart officially melted right then and there. They do listen!


I know that if we aren't quick to judge others, without knowing their circumstances and give them the time, treat them like the child of God they are and love them, it can change their life. Who knows for how long but you may never know if you don't try. You could be their new beginning or even the final 'sign' they were waiting for. We don't have to be on an official mission or in a distant land to serve our Heavenly Father and help Him to spread the gospel. Testimonies don't have to be complicated to be touching. I know that if we follow the teachings we are given, let our light shine and live the way we are asked while sharing our testimonies, that that is the best way to serve our Heavenly Father. You are being an example and people WILL notice. Even those you wouldn't expect. People watch and listen and they will be curious. Missionary work is a domino effect. You share with one, then they share with another and it just continues from there. Like Samuel Smith. He was rejected when trying to share the Book Of Mormon with a man but he followed the spirit and gave the book to the man's wife. That family was later converted and shared the gospel with more family and they were converted and so on and so forth. It happens and you could be the one to tip the scale. It could not only change someone else's life, but your own. I'll never forget how I felt that day sharing what I know to be true with him. I felt a sense of accomplishment, a happiness and fulfillment  in my heart. I know I left that man in good hands and that our Heavenly Father is taking good care of him.

On a side note: Here is what my family was up to this Easter! We took Haddie to the park and she tried the swings for the first time and she loved them!  Easter came and went super fast this year. I still can't believe we are already in April! This time last year I was already 2 months pregnant and now in just a day my little babe will be 6 months old!!

In my family, we would always wake up to Easter baskets at the foot of our beds, hunt for eggs, re-hide them and hunt again, and have a big, delicious dinner. Last year I tried to re-live my childhood and I made a basket for Emmett. I had hide it from him in our tiny apt the day before and then put it out after I knew he was fast asleep. I was surprised to learn he never got baskets growing up! 

Well now we have our own little girl we get to start fun traditions with. Unfortunately we did not make her a basket this year but my mom sent her one with some cute outfits, a couple little toys and lots of candy for Emmett and I :) I'm way excited about playing Santa, the Easter Bunny etc and start some traditions Haddie will look back on  and maybe even continue when it's her turn to be a mommy. (YEARS from now of course!!)

A tree climber like her mamma!

Uncle Aaron may not have liked Auntie Andrea's no bake cookies but Hads sure did.

My 3rd re-birth birthday

Three years. THREE YEARS!! On this day three years ago I knew my life would be so different and so great, and I was right. I was baptized a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! I was just turned 21 years old, the age everyone can't wait for, never in a million years would I have thought that would happen, but it did! It did because I was in search of something greater, something true, that I could rely on and something I could look to to better myself, all without even really knowing it until I found it. 

I was so unhappy with the person I was becoming and tired of 'sitting still' in life. I was making drastic, life altering decisions more on impulse than really thinking them through only hoping that they would make me happy and fulfilled. I was making choices that weren't exactly helping get where I wanted to be, though, back then I wasn't really sure where that was. 

I was involved with a wonderful family and someone close to me that was searching for the same things I was. It was no accident how I came to the church. They helped guide me and light the way. This friend was praying and praying for answers on where to go, what was right, what was true, when the good ol' missionaries showed up. (I believe saying that they were told they should come visit this friend by a home teacher). Well they started talking more and I didn't even know about it for a little while. Then one day when I was over at this family's home, my fate knocked on their door, wanting dinner. Ok actually I'm not sure they came for dinner but it was my fate. They were supposed to come that night, though I didn't know this, and my friend had called and canceled their meeting. One of the missionaries, being new, somehow missed the voicemail left on their phone and they showed up anyways. BAM. First lesson! 

Now I'm not going to lie, you are probably thinking it was that first lesson that leaves the investigator wanting more but for me, I wanted to run and run fast. It was totally not what I was expecting, completely caught me off guard and I left that night feeling like I sounded so stupid, not knowing anything they were asking me and wasn't understanding anything they were talking to me about. It wasn't the missionarie's faults though! They were so kind and polite and you could tell they were just as nervous as I was, being new and all. But after that night I decided it wasn't for me but I'd support my friend in it if it meant so much to him. Originally we had decided that we would try his church and then try my church and see what fit us better. Needless to say we never did actually go to my church haha.

Anyways....

Another night comes, I don't remember, maybe a week or so later?...and they showed up and surprised me again at this family's home. I think I was probably sweating up a storm, shaking, couldn't pronounce my words correctly and just wanted to, again, run. Run really fast. BUT for some reason or another, I didn't. I didn't use one of the MANY excuses as to why I should leave that I concocted in my mind as I was sitting there in the living room with them. They broke down the basics, started with what I DID already know and THAT was the lesson that left me wanting more. I started meeting with them a couple-few times a week. I was always left so thirsty for more. I probably called them so many times that they knew it was me every time their phone would ring. 

I was starting to feel like I had a purpose in life. I was smiling from ear to ear all the time and it wasn't forced. It was almost like I had this crazy force inside that was so strong and I was about to burst at the seams with happiness. I never remember feeling this way before. 

*Not even when the ice cream man broke down on my street when I was a kid and they were giving away all their ice cream because it was going to all melt!*

Yeah.

When I started thinking about being baptized I decided to bring it up to my family. We were all at a restaurant and it was the perfect time, when we were all together. I remember bringing it up and then being drilled. Question after question about what I was getting myself into and did I actually really know what I was talking about. Well, surprise, surprise, I had an answer for everything. Some I actually looked back on later and thought, "Wait, how did I know that?" It was kind of unreal. 

Long story short, I was baptized. I think I actually asked if I could be baptized before I was asked to be  baptized. 

I was given a journal by another member for my big day with a super sweet card encouraging me to write about my feelings and progression. So thankful I have that to look back on. I don't read it as often as I should but looking back on it today brings back all my happy feelings and gets my spiritual juices flowing, making me want to do it all over again! 

I thought I'd share some little tid bits from my very first journal about my big day and some of my progression in my first yr. I mean, who explains it better than someone who JUST went through it  all am I right?!

I feel on so many occasions in my life leading up to my 21st year of life, I was being prepared for this day. I remember my very best friend/sister from kindergarten and her mom having the missionaries over when we were still very young. I only remember playing games with them, starting to pray over meals and, ahem, pushing them in the pool...gulp. I don't think I ever really understood who they were and what they were doing there.
Another incident was when I went to see Disney on ice in San Diego. Everyone knows the SD temple looks like a princess castle. Well, it's right on the edge of the freeway and we were driving home late and I saw it all lite up for the first time. I told my mom it was Snow White's castle and that I was going to go there someday. HA. She probably just went along with my childish dream not knowing that one day, I really would be going there. Anyways..

-BAPTISM DAY-

Eeeep!!

"Leading up to this day I was so eager, so thirsty to learn all I could soak up. I wanted to meet with the missionaries everyday if I actually could have. I went to church regularly, read the scriptures I was given and more. I asked lots of questions and didn't keep it a secret of how excited I truly was. I knew everyone could tell and that made them excited for me which in turn made me that much more enthusiastic about it.......................I think for a moment I entered my own little world. Sitting there pondering about what was about to take place, the giant leap I was about to take, the realization that I was about to really be forgiven of everything I had ever done up until that moment, without a single doubt in my mind. .......I felt the spirit all around, helping me, watching me go to the steps. Brother Snapp reaching out to me, ready to go. We locked arms and I closed my eyes listening to what he was saying. I was lowered into the water and my mind was quiet, I felt it was just me in the room for a moment and I felt my past wash away. It never happened to who it matters most..."

For the record, I was the very last person to leave the building that night. After I said good bye to everyone I sat in my car and cried. Happy tears of course, and I listened to the only church music I had, Jeremy Camp. I did this for about 20 minutes or so <3 "It was the first time I was completely alone but didn't feel lonely."

-DAY AFTER-

"The day after my baptism. I feel so amazing. I'm on top of the world today. I feel as if all the things that would normally bring me down have 0 effect over me. At Starbucks I was working the drive-thru and a co-worker, _____, came by. She told me once before my baptism that she didn't understand why I wanted to do it. I tried explaining but got some doubtful looks. Today, however, she said to me, "Danica, you're glowing!" I told her with a huge smile, "I was baptized yesterday, I was told people would say that.""

-CONFIRMATION DAY-

I remember this day very well. When I was called to the front of the church to be confirmed a member and receive the Holy Ghost I practically skipped to the front I was so excited.  When the confirmation began it was the first time in the whole process I got nervous. I started to shake. I wasn't sure it was me or if I was imagining it but I was later told it was in fact me haha. I got this cold shiver that ran through my whole body but it went so fast and was replaced by an incredible warmth. Like laying in the sun on the hottest day of the yr but feeling it from the inside. A feeling I will NEVER forget. After the blessing I tried to stand but literally couldn't feel the floor. I remember thinking to myself, "take a step, now another, turn around...", like I was learning how to walk all over again. Each step was as if nothing was under me. I got to my seat but was asked to stand again. I said, accidentally out loud, "If I can even hold myself up long enough to stand." I got some laughs from that one. 

""I'll remember these days forever", I thought to myself and bowed my head to pray. I gave my gratitude to the Lord, my Savior, my missionaries, my family, the people in the ward and everyone who helped me get here today. I'am apart of this church now and forever and I feel the love <3"

Three years later and I still can't believe how far I've gotten and I know I owe it all to my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ, the missionaries and the supportive families. I have been married and sealed in the temple to my very best friend for time and ALL eternity, gained the most incredible, loving family, I have been blessed beyond words with a healthy, beautiful daughter, my mother and my aunt have felt and accepted the unconditional love our Heavenly Father has for  each of us and were baptized and cleansed just over a year ago and my life has been changed for the better in so many ways, by so many people. I know that this was the right decision for me to make, along with all the decisions I had to make along the way to get to where I am today. I'm grateful for the love and support people have shown me and for the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for all of us so that we could know the truth, feel the love of our Lord, and return to live with Him again. I'm grateful for the examples shown to me by Him and by fellow members, friends and family members. I know that there is no better way to live than a clean, pure, righteous way and if we follow the teachings of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, the commandments and we take care of ourselves and those around us, we will be blessed. And we have so many blessings awaiting us. Those who are seeking something better, or maybe  are lost, or even those who have already found Christ, I urge you to read the Book Of Mormon and pray to know what is true. I promise you will receive your answer and answers to any other questions or struggles you may have if you ask with a real intent, but I know it will happen in the Lord's time and at the best time for you in your life, just as it did for me.

There is no greater love!!!

Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-19

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; 

And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity our yours.

And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more." 

PI Day

I have the best little kitchen helper. She just wants to be involved in EVERYTHING I do.

Oh, ahem, I actually meant TWO kitchen "helpers".

We made our first Blueberry Cheesecake! 

Happy PI Day!! I consider this to be a pie.

Let's just state the obvious reasonings behind this:

• It's round
• It has a CRUST
• It's in a pie dish
• You cut it just like you would a pie :)

An illness worth blogging about

Germs are taking over.

But we are fighting back.

I recently posted a facebook status about how sick I was. (Am). It went something like, 

"...I'd rather go through child birth again before feeling like this again...blah something blah blah.." 

Yeah guys. 

I WAS SERIOUS!!

Child birth was easy peasy if I do say so myself, I'm a blessed woman I guess, but this illness has turned my world upside down! It started off with lots of sneezing and a stuffy nose. I thought it was probably due to this beautiful weather and all the Spring wonderfulness coming about. 

Then, it really hit me.

You know when you swim and you go so far down that your ears start feeling obscure amounts of pressure in them and it's almost like your head is about to burst right then and there?

Well friends, this is how I have felt for the last few days.

It started Saturday and we are now to Wed and I have yet to kick this germ death. 

Sunday I had my lesson all prepared for my primary class and had to call another teacher to take over for me. I felt bad it was so last minute but I brought her all my notes and activities I had planned.

That night we had some friends come over and all day Emmett was saying I should cancel but I didn't want to. I just thought it was allergies and not an actual illness. But boy was I wrong. Right about when everyone was supposed to show I started getting really bad. I had an ice pack on my head, every time I blew my nose my ears would pop, I had chills, but my head felt like it was in a hot bubble, my body ached, my head pounded, I was constantly blowing my nose...

Needless to say, I was SO NOT FUN that night. 

We promised the in laws we would Skype with them since we didn't last Sunday so after everyone left we hopped on the computer. We have a computer set up in our bedroom so we went in there and I laid in bed while Emmett did most of the talking. 

Kid you not, there I was, in bed, in jammies, stuffed up so I was talking funny, I had a new roll of TP by my side, 4 kinds of meds, a trash can, an ice pack, chapstick, orange juice and 2 layers of socks on. I was at my worst. 

My mother in law, sweet as she is, got a few laughs in at me which I took well haha and she sympathized with me too. 

The pressure in my head was so bad I ended up getting in the shower to hopefully clear my sinuses up a bit. Instead, I made the shower so hot I was getting dizzy and sick to my stomach so I had to get out sooner than I had wanted. That was my 3rd shower that day, BTW.

I had a headache worse than I have ever had in my life that night!! Nothing was helping. Emmett gave me a blessing which then I was able to sleep. (at 3am fyi) Haddie woke up sometime around 4am, which never ever happens and was crying. Emmett went to check on her and she threw up! 

Come Monday morning, I wake up and my husband is still in bed with me and our baby is still asleep. 

Yep, we are now ALL sick. Well, so I thought, somehow Haddie has managed to stay  germ free and is just an expert sleeper-inner. YA-HOO! I guess throwing up the night before was just a weird one time thing? Because she was perfectly fine right after and all day.

In the days of this horrid illness I have had lots of time with my little family which I have needed very much. I've prayed for it and though this wasn't exactly how I pictured it'd go, it was still nice to have my husby home. We played games, took naps, watched I Dream of Jeannie and spent time with our sweet girl. Friends brought us a humidifier, meds and some women from our church, my vt's, brought us a delicious meal last night! And that happened because of my silly fb status! 

Today Emmett is back at work/school, still feeling a bit crumby, as am I, but we are much, much better than we were in recent days. 

Thank. Heavens.

Apples and sunshine

Since the last post the weather has been bipolar going from warm to cold, sunny to cloudy and I think it even sprinkled here and there one day. I can't really complain because I'm liking the change up.  I used to hate when the weather didn't make up it's mind but now, it doesn't get too hot and when it starts getting too cold it warms up a bit again. It's a whopping 55 degrees right now with a chance of snow. 

Weird. 

Last Saturday the family went to my brother in law and his wife's place for another movie themed party. This one was for the movie, Tangled. One of my favorites I've seen way too many times, yet still watch it once every week or two.

Everyone invited was asked to bring something tasty to go along with the theme. I decided on cute little apples. Maximus loves apples.

I made them out of rice krispy treats, tootsie rolls, strawberry jello and frosting.

Alls I did was make the rice krispy treats like normal but added about half a packet of the jello powder to make them a little sweet.

When they were ready I sprayed my hands with baking spray and molded them into small balls, just a bit bigger than golf balls. Added tootsie rolls to the top, my husby made the frosting and molded leaves with it and wallah!

For a cute touch I placed them in a basket I use for Haddie's socks. But shhh...nobody knew that when they ate them. Muahahaha! 

Oh yes, he also molded a little Pasquel :)

Haddie and her cousin, Anne, seemed to enjoy parts of the movie too. Though after awhile they started interacting a little with each other and it was one of the cutest things I've ever witnessed! We also decided Hads likes people. She smiles at everyone and likes to show off her tricks. (Rolling and getting on her knees) She wasn't shy to do so at the party! What a show off :p

Today the little miss and I went outside to enjoy the sunshine while it lasted. 

Every new sound she heard she would turn her head to look at what it was. It was usually a bird though sooo she never actually saw it. It got so bright I grabbed a hat for her that I thought was going to be huge but it seemed to fit alright.

She was getting a little cranky so I was hesitant to get all our stuff and bring it out if she was just going to continue to be a crank and I'd have to bring it all back in. She loved it though and jabbered my ear off for about 30 mins and smiled at everything. She even laughed!! 

She has only really laughed and not squeaked a handful of times but apparently, the sunshine brings it out of her! That, and I found her ticklish spot last night :)

She was giving me the hang loose sign.

She would NOT look at the camera almost at all while we were out there. She was much more interested in the new world around her.