Digital Scrapbooking

I am three pages away from being finished with 2009 in my Digital Scrapbook. I am really proud of it, and have enjoyed the process. Once I finish those three pages I can order the book and display it and show it off, and know that I do print off pictures instead of just keep them on my computer.

Then I realized that I didn't want to do any more 12 X 12 size. So then I was faced with the quandary...do I finish this one off in 12 X 12 and then had different sizes? I'm a little too obsessive about that. So I spent today changing all my 12 X 12 finished pages into 8.5 X 11 pages. I have 12 pages left to do...and I did 43 pages today.

I went from this:
To This:
I just had to share one of my favorite pages I did so far:
I love the pictures and that I'm doing a great job of putting papers together and using different elements. I don't really love tons of extra stuff on a page and only one picture with hardly any journaling. (If that's your style, GREAT! It's not mine.)

It's been fun to go back through them all, and make minor changes, but I'm ready to be done and order the book. Is anyone else obsessive enough to go and change the size of your scrapbook so it will match the rest on the book shelf?

This obsessive trait also extends to series...if I buy the first book in a series in paperback--the rest will be in paperback. If I start a series in hardback then I finish it in hardback. When the author changes the art style on the books half way through the series, I have a really hard time. The Bug Hero laughs at me and then says that it makes it that much harder for him to buy me books. Not only does he have to find a new book for me but he has to find one that matches.......

You know its one of those months...

I don't know if you have months like the one I had. I went to pull pictures off of the camera and there were more pictures of Legos than anyone else.Darth Vader had an interview:

The favorite: Hazmat Guys meet Dinosaur!
There was one of Dad and FH. Friendly Hero was helping Dad open his Birthday Presents.I had to go all the way back into April to get a picture of this guy.It's just one of those Months!

Big Day

We're so proud of our Master Bug Hero. He is amazing! We sure do love this guy! He worked hard and now has a Master's Degree!

Friendly Hero-ism

The Friendly Hero has been talking up a storm. Here are a few of my favorites:
1. Anan's Mommy = Me. (He refers to me as FH's Mommy.)
2. Packet = Peaceful Hero.
3. Tamarow = Tomorrow.
4. I likeit _____, I getit _______, I readit _______. (FH adds in an extra 'it.')
5. I go Nursery = We are going to church.
6. Anan New Brown Car-seat = FH's car-seat. We got PH a new car-seat and so now FH has a new one too. It's pretty nice that we didn't actually have to get him a new car seat.
7. I climbit up Anan Mommy's new bed.
8. I watchit Mater crying airplane = I want to watch Cars Toons. (Mater cries when he's blasting off to the moon.)
9. Anan's Mommy carry You = Mom carries FH.
10. You heavy = I'm heavy.
11. Bonk! Woospy-daisy. (I can't even begin to try to write how he says it. We all just start laughing.)

He keeps us laughing!

Bath Time

These two love taking baths together now! They have a lot of fun!
There is a lot more splashing and laughter with them together.

Second Class Citizens

Several people that I love have told me that they feel like second class citizens in Heaven. There are various reasons:
I'm single.
I don't have kids.
My kids lie.
My kids have chosen not to remain active.
My kids are so crazy they don't listen and I don't get anything out of church.
My calling isolates me from everyone.
I don't have any friends.
I feel depressed all the time.

The list goes on and on. I've felt various feeling of these at times and my heart breaks whenever I hear that for whatever reason someone feels like they are Second Class in the church and in Heaven. Their feelings are real, and I wish they weren't.*

I was studying in Preach My Gospel about a month ago and I came across the Christlike attributes. I was thinking about the Hope and Faith sections. There are two that I realized solved these feelings for me. I hope they help others.
I feel confident that God loves me.
I firmly believe that someday I will dwell with God and become like Him.

Knowing these two statements are true and applying them into my life made me realize that I'm not a second class citizen. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ don't see me that way. They love me more than I can ever comprehend. Having faith to trust in that love allows me to go about trying my absolute best and they will make up the rest. Do I make tons of mistakes--Yes. I do. Many of you know this. But I have faith that through the atonement that I can become like God. And God is not a second class citizen in Heaven. Therefore, I am not a second class citizen. Is it hard, yes. Is it totally worth it. Yes.

One other thought that I have--having faith in the power of the atonement means that it works for everyone. When you know this, and can feel it's power it's a lot easier to help others and understand that they are doing their best too.





*I will never tell anyone that what they are feeling isn't real. I confided in someone that I was feeling depressed and stressed and they told me that I didn't know the meaning of depressed. Depressed for me was normal for everyone else. Funny, yes. Unkind--totally. Depressed means lowered states of emotion, my depressed may not look like someone else's but by golly! It's still depression.

Firsts

We reached several milestones today! I'm so proud of my boys!

The Friendly Hero's Firsts:
1. He went to the potty all by himself. I was upstairs changing a diaper and dressing a boy when I come downstairs and the FH is on the potty. He had taken off his pants and underwear and pulled the stool up and used the potty--all by himself. He was patiently waiting for me to come and wipe a bottom.

2. He was at the playground and started crying. He decided that he wanted to be sad outside. He told me that he wanted to stand on the playground and be sad. I was sorry about this first--but at least he was communicating.

The Peaceful Hero's Firsts:
1. He rolled over! This morning we were getting his brother ready and I look over and he rolled over from back to front, and then continued on to his back--right into his dresser.

2. Rolling into a dresser. He was so mad and screamed up the wazoo. Consequently, since this was also his first time rolling over, the rest of the day he made no second attempts. He didn't even do his half roll over.

3. He broke his first tooth! He has one tooth on the bottom in the center. We have three other teeth that are close, so we don't know which tooth will be the second tooth!

We are so proud of the boys! I desperately tried to think of first things that I did or the Bug Hero did today, but I could only think of a LAST for the Bug Hero. The Bug Hero took his LAST class as a Master's Student. He is a week away from finishing Master's Work and starting PhD work. We're pretty proud of him too. I didn't do anything cool today. Except document all these other cool things.