Hello out there?

This blog has seemed to get away from me lately. I guess we have just had so much going on.
We spent 3 weeks in California just Madison and I. We visited several zoos and parks. Hung out with friends. Went to the beach. and I went to Disneyland with Candace and her family.

During the month of May

- Zach got his second BS degree in biology.
- Took the MCAT in Denver
- Sliced a chunk out of his heel on accident

-Madison grew 4 more teeth.
- Pooped in the potty all on her own
- Can say 40+ words
- Scrapes her knees daily
-Got a "big girl" twin bed, but I don't think she wants to sleep in it.

-Sara hit 469 sales in her bow shop
- Had a couple HUGE orders with Brickyard Buffalo and a shop in Australia
- Became a co author for a Pre Med Wives Club Blog.
- Lived the mommy life 24/7

In June we are looking forward to

-getting the MCAT score (fingers crossed)
- applying to medical school
- Throwing a farewell baby shower for the Hughes Family.
- Hanging out at the pool
- working to save money for everything
-Hopefully hear back from a school ASAP
-My parents coming at the end of the month.

Mommy Heart

This crazy thing happens when you become a mother, you grow an extra heart. Ok, maybe not actually grow another heart but the strings of your previous heart are much more easily tugged on. Since I have become a mother I have been an emotional mess. I get choked up at everything. 

So bear with me during this post. 

I own my own small business. I network with TONS of people daily. I follow one family online that breaks my heart every time I talk to them. Their daughter was born with brain cancer. Their little girl is just over a year old and sadly is losing her battle with cancer. She will pass away in the days/weeks to come. This breaks my mommy heart, hell, it breaks my regular heart. 

I think about how lucky I am and how completely ungrateful I am. I complain when my daughter is screaming at me. I'm tired when she still wakes up several times at night. I'm upset when she colors on the wall. I feel like motherhood is a trial and not a blessing. Then I have to take a deep breath and a step back. I remember to be grateful for the screaming child because she is healthy enough to scream.  I am thankful to be alive and have a body that can function on little sleep. I am blessed to have a creative and spunky child who keeps me on my toes. Other families do not have those simple blessings. This family is just glad to have every little moment with their daughter before she is gone. This sweet girl reminds me every day to hold Madison close and to give her extra kisses. To hold my temper instead of yelling. 

Not every day of motherhood is great, but there are moments of greatness in every day.

We never know how much time we have on this earth. Each day should be given your best effort and we should find something to be thankful for every day. 

I was at Bible Study with some girl friends last week and we talked about several questions that made you step back and think about things you would change in your life. One question was "if you only lived to be 40, what would you do differently?" That got me thinking about all sorts of things in my life. But the first thing that came to mind was to start my family earlier and love them more. Did not expect that to come out. I thought I would say something like "travel more" or "be a stunt double" or something crazy like that. Deep inside, I love being a mother. I love having a family. I love MY family. If I only had such limited time on this earth, I would want to spend every moment with them.

I am not perfect

I am not perfect.  I make mistakes.

 I am human. 

I get hurt. I get upset. I have flaws. Sometimes I judge too quickly. Sometimes my feelings get hurt too easily. Sometimes I speak without thinking and hurt others.

 I am trying to be the best that I can and work on these flaws. 

The beauty of this life is that we are all here to learn and be tried. Every day we learn and grow to be better people. My daughter has brought out the good in me. I read quotes all the time that say "be the person you want your kids to remember you as" or "your kids grow up  to be versions of you, so be the best you can be"  Your children are the only ones that are almost constantly around you, even more then your spouse. They see your good moods, they see your bad. They remember when you say a word in anger or when you "don't have time" to play or answer a question. They also remember when you are kind. They remember when you help others. They remember the time you spend with them and the memories you make. 

That being said, I have decided that my theme for this year is to be better. This seems like such a broad theme but it is not as simple as it sounds. Being better takes a conscious effort. It is remembering in each moment to make the better choice. To recognize the flaws that I have, and to work on them. I can tell you that 3 months in to this theme and I have seen a change. If you want to be a happier person you have to try. I have found that serving others has made me the happiest. My problems seem so much smaller when I help someone. I have tried to think more before speaking. I am still a work in progress.  

I hope that people will have the same patience for me that I am learning to have for others. 

Midway Ice Castles

I've always wanted to go see these beauties in real life. We decided to take our traditional "first trip of the year" (where we do something fun and different during the month of January) to go visit them. They were amazing!

We arrived right at sunset to be able to see the castles detail during the day, then when the sun went down the lights turned on and they created a beautiful glow. I think this is what heaven will look like, minus the FREEZING cold.

New Year

Wow, where does the time go?

In hopes to be better at journalism,  I am trying to do it more often. Seeing as this is a record of my life I should probably update it so I can remember the good stuff later on.

For starters going around the blog world people have come up with their "theme" for the new year. Each is different and personal to the person who picks it. 2013 was "The Year Of Sewing" for me. We were living with my inlaws and my mother in law happens to be fantastic at sewing so I wanted to take advantage of that wonderful quality while I could. She helped me accomplish SO many projects last year. Baby crib bedding, countless quilts, reupholstering a rocking chair, custom made neck pillow, hem jeans, make maxi skirts, and make a cloak jacket sort of thing from a pattern.  I am thankful for her being willing to take the time and help me learn this new talent. I am no where near good at it, but I have learned more of the basics and have a greater understanding of sewing in general.

The year 2014 I have decided is going to be "The Year Of Service". We are only truly happy when we are serving others. I have noticed this sort of void in my life. Don't get me wrong, I have a loving husband, adorable child and everything else is going swimmingly. I just know that I could be happier. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the stupid drama of my own life and often have pity parties for myself and I'm tired of it. I want to be more optimistic. I want to help others around me. I want to grow my testimony in the Gospel and what better way to accomplish all that then by serving one another. It does not have to be big things. Just something small to make someones day happier. So that is the goal this year. I can't wait to see how much I will grow in the months to come.

In other news:
My daughter is 16 months old. Wow. She is horrible at sharing and I have a mini anxiety attack every time we have a play date. I just never wanted to have "that kid" that people were not excited to hang out with. We are trying out hardest at being better but its difficult. When she is not fighting with other kids she is the sweetest little girl I know. She has the cutest smile and is learning more every day. She loves being outside, even when it is freezing cold and snowing. She loves animals. And though she may not be able to talk just yet, she is very good at getting her wants and needs across to everyone. She is also really great at following directions. Sometimes even complicated ones I don't think she will understand. And NO we are not pregnant or expecting any new arrivals for the year of 2014. Sorry grandparents, it will be a while till the next one.

We moved in to our own place! That's right, we no longer live with my in laws. It was a very last minute decision. We literally got home from Christmas vacation on Monday and we were packing by Tuesday. So crazy. It is an adorable TINY two bedroom just a few minutes away from family. Madison is happy to finally have her own room and I am happy to finally have MY own room again. No more tip toeing around in the dark to not wake a sleeping baby. Its wonderful.  It is a little bittersweet. As much as I love having a space of our own I miss the company of always having someone to talk to. I guess its just really sinking in how often Zach is gone and now that I don't work full time I realize the loneliness even more.  But that's ok because as I am typing this I realize I am sitting on my couch in my undies typing this (too much info I know) and I realize that I could never do that when living with other people.... I mean I guess I could but I know not to many would appreciate that sight. :)

Now just pray for us that we can make rent and we don't starve. Ok, I'm joking. Not Really We're Poor.

I started a bow company in September and it has been making some great progress. It has been slow and steady but I am thankful for the extra bit of income and being able to do something I enjoy so much. I am so thankful for the people I have met and the friendships I have made. It is this great online community that I get to meet other creative individuals and learn about them.  It has been an adventure everyday learning the ins and outs of profit margins, marketing, bookkeeping, design, and small business management.


Fun new changes coming this year and we look forward to all that this year has in store for us. It had a very rough start with Madison and I getting a very violent stomach bug that was passed on the my mother and father in law. Then our car broke. Then we had to move all in the same week. It was a little overwhelming to start things off but now that the dust has settled we can enjoy the year to come.