"People are like bicycles.  They can keep their balance only as long as they keep moving." -Albert Einstein (in a letter to his son Eduard-february 5, 1930)

Whenever i let laziness, fear, stubbornness, silly distractions, or whatever it might be, slow me down that's when i notice life getting out of balance.  That's when i notice my children unraveling the house. That's when i notice a day go by without pausing to kneel in prayer.  That's when i notice feelings of being overwhelmed creeping in or being cranky and cross for no reason...but once i just start "pedaling" again life gains it's momentum and happy balance.  Usually it is service that starts the momentum up again...whether that is service to my children like reading with them or helping them clean their room, service to my husband like making a nice meal, service to a neighbor like bringing in their trash cans, service in the church like fulfilling my calling with the cub scouts or serving in the temple....or even just something as small as smiling at our renters and saying a quick "hello" as they come back from a long day on campus.  Service usually jumpstarts me into pedaling again.

"We must have the courage to be imperfect while striving for perfection. " -Patricia Holland

 i don't remember where i first heard this quote but i think about it a lot. It reminds me of when i was a teenager and a friend was teaching me how to play a song on the piano. Every time i made a mistake i would stop and start over again. But my friend told me not to be afraid of making mistakes and to just keep playing the song because that is how i would get better at playing it.  It's a good life lesson to learn too...i shouldn't quit or not try just because i'm afraid of making mistakes.  I think of my little 9 month old...if she wanted to be perfect at talking but was afraid of making mistakes, she would never progress...however, she isn't afraid of messing up she just keeps babbling and cooing and making sounds...and every once in awhile a word comes out (wether intentional or unintentional we don't know for sure!) but she smiles and we smile and eventually she will be talking in full sentences!  How neat if we could be as courageous and uninhibited as these little ones.  

This is something i need to work on for sure.   With a sick baby the past few days i haven't had much time to spend with our 2 year old and 3 year old so the time i do get to spend with them should be quality time showing my love for them...unfortunately, all to often our time together has been focused on breaking up arguments, sending one or the other or both of them to time out, fixing something they broke....etc...i'm glad i just read this quote...i want those little ones of mine to feel 100% loved!

When we were young every Christmas Eve we would read "The Polar Express" just before going to bed.  I always wanted to be a "believer" and hear the bell ring:)  The other day at church i was talking to a friend who said they sat their 10 and 12 year old kids down to tell them that they (their parents) had been Santa all along...she said she felt like they were getting a little too old to still believe in Santa Claus.  That made me sad.  Even though i'm the mom now and play the part of "santa" for my kids, i still "believe" in santa....there is something so magical how it all comes together Christmas morning.   I hope i always hear the bell ring each Christmas!

There is such a sweet spirit present when we hear or talk of the birth of Jesus. My kids love to play with the Nativity scenes that we have set up throughout the house.  I love hearing them speak of "Mary" and "Joseph" and "Baby Jesus" Today in our Sacrament meeting our ward choir sang the Christmas hymns and when the narrator was talking in between hymns, Henry, my 3 year old, said..."mom! he is talking about Bethlehem!"  It is neat to see their excitement about the reason for the season.

This sweet song is super special to me because i used to sing it to Henry every night before bed when he was a baby...up until i stopped rocking him to sleep(i think he was probably 16 months old!)  Every once in awhile i will sing it to him at night and he will get a glazed look on his face as if he were trying to remember something from long ago.  I really love this tender song.

I love the Book of Mormon and the truths that it teaches and the testimony it bears of Jesus Christ. Whenever i hear messages about sharing the gospel i almost always think back to when i was in graduate school and i had the chance to share the gospel with a classmate, and i didn't...i've regretted it ever since.  This year i was inspired by my mother-in-law to send a book of mormon along with my testimony to my former classmate. I've lost touch with her but easily found her address online.  I know it is a small gesture but i hope she finds joy in it's truths!

Several years ago my mom and i flew out to boston to visit my sister and her family. We took a bus to NYC with her two oldest daughters and spent the day in the big apple! It was such a fun adventure. My sister made a photo book of this time together and included this quote. I love the great memories we made together and think it is so true that we usually regret the things we don't do, more than those we do.  My natural instinct is to say "oh we better not go...or we better not do it..." but i love the idea of just embracing each opportunity of making memories, especially with the ones we love!

Snowflakes...

"The entire message of the New Testament breathes a spirit of awakening to the human soul.  Shadows of despair are dispelled by rays of hope, sorrow yields to joy, and the feeling of being lost in the crowd of life vanishes with the certain knowledge that our Heavenly Father is mindful of each of us." -President Thomas S. Monson

Today is one of those days i really needed to read this quote!  I've been reading a book called "the no-cry sleep solution."  In it the author talks about how to help a baby sleep through the night without having to let her cry it out.  It isn't a quick-fix method and could take months to implement...it is full of gentle tips and ideas...which i've been trying the past few nights...and failing already. We've had to abort the plan every night and both me and baby have ended in tears out of sheer exhaustion! Oh well, we will keep trying:)  I know in the grand scheme of things, these sleepless nights being awake with my baby will seem like a sweet memory...so in the meantime, i will soak it in and keep "gently" trying to help this little one sleep through the night.

May we all make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit, taking with us a tender, caring heart as our gift to the Savior. And may one and all have a joy-filled Christmas. -President Thomas S. Monson