'these are a few of my favorite things' : WYATT, VERSION 5.0

Wyatt, you are 5 years old.

Here are some of your favorites:

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Balls

You love to kick, throw, and bounce

anything that could pass for a ball!

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Milk

Let's just say we wouldn't be shocked

if you grew up to be a dairy farmer.

You can't get enough of this stuff,

and your white mustache proves it!

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Art!

Not a day goes by that you don't ask to color, cut, glue, or create.

You LOVE coloring books, crayons, markers, scissors, glitter,

and so on and so on... If it's arts and crafts, you wanna do it.

P.S. I love the heart-shaped flowers you draw!

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Binky-Hunny Bunny-Blanky

OK, so maybe this trio isn't your favorite as much as they were six months ago, but up until last August, you could not go to sleep without these three essential items. It used to bother me that you were over two and still using a binky, but I challenge anyone with a child who has night-terrors to judge me. When you find anything that helps your little one sleep better, you use it! Let's just say your dad and I were glad you weaned yourself off of it before high school.

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Puzzles

You are a puzzle-maniac! Seriously, you are so good at these!

You can do 60-pieces in a short amount of time,

and have even on occasion tackled 100-piece sets.

I love to watch your wheels turning as you work on them.

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Scriptures

You love to read your Book of Mormon!

A few weeks ago you snuggled up to me on the couch and asked,

"Mom, do you want to read the scriptures with me?"

I was so proud of you in that moment!

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The Incredibles & George of the Jungle

These are your favorite movies

you love to watch over and over again!

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PB & J

You love Peanut Butter sandwiches, especially those with jam!

It's strange, but I love to see the peanut butter on your cheeks

when you're done. It's like you can't enjoy it unless you can devour it,

ignoring the sticky mess it leaves behind on your handsome face!

-

Ice Cream

You are your father's son.

'Nuff said.

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Bicycle

In warm weather, you have a daily request to go for a bike ride.

Maybe you're the next Lance Armstrong?

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Books

You have just learned to read and now it's like you can't get enough of the written word! You read anything you can get your hands on - food labels, street signs, you name it! I am so pleased, so delighted that you enjoy books as much as you do! The first book you learned to read, and still one of your top three faves, is the classic Danny and the Dinosaur.

striving for "easiness"...

"Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Bible Dictionary,

King James Version

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I am a believer in prayer. The reassurance that comes from knowing, knowing!, that I can go to my Heavenly Father and pour out my soul to Him, that He will not only hear me, but respond to my supplication with comfort and answers, is to me the greatest tool we as children of God have been given. We live in environments of worldly desires and influences, and yet available to every human being on the planet is the opportunity to connect in a personal one-on-one way with the Divine.

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The past two months I have been praying earnestly to know God's will in a specific part of my life. I'm almost there--I feel I have the beginnings of an answer but I'm not there yet. I'm not to the point where I feel sure proceeding in any one certain direction, not until I can trust myself to believe I have received full confirmation of the Lord's plan for me. But I have faith that if I keep praying, keep seeking opportunities where His spirit can pour out upon me, I'll eventually know what it is I should be doing and I'll be able to do so having complete confidence. As I read the Book of Mormon this morning, I prayed that the words I was going to read would somehow reassure me that the Lord knows my heart. I'm so grateful -- so very, very grateful -- for the scriptures. Any time that I have started my reading with a prayer, asking for understanding, asking for a way to apply it in my life, my requests have always been granted. Today was no different, as I read in Helaman 6:37:

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"...the Lord began to pour out his Spirit...because of their easiness and willingness to believe in his words."

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I know the Lord is ready (and probably trying) to answer my specific questions in full right now, but I also believe that He knows that although I am doing my best to seek His Spirit and have a desire to know and follow His will, I am human and therefore through my weaknesses struggle to interpret the feelings I get as I pray, and that I do not always have "easiness" in doing so. How blessed I am to have a Heavenly Father who is patient with me and continues to give me answers no matter how long it takes me to understand them.

A Story About Silly Village People

One day Daddy had to work late, Mommy was feeling guilty

about how grumpy she had been.

Snapping and yelling waaaaaay too much,

she decided to make it up to her three silly angels

by taking them out for "breakfast" at Village Inn for their dinner.

The food took a long time to come.

So we found ways to entertain ourselves with Mommy's camera:

train party.

Whenever our nephew, Jace, comes to visit, he and the boys love to have "train parties" upstairs in the playroom with the train table.

shave and a haircut, ten cents!

I caught Carson making faces in the mirror to entertain himself

while Celeste tried to cut this wiggly boy's hair!

just 'cuz

Just for the heck of it, Mom and I decided to use a couple of our free Southwest Airlines tickets for a fun weekend getaway in warm & sunny Arizona. Mom spent some time with her sister Myrtle in Peoria and I split my time between Myrtle and my dear friends in Mesa that I left behind when we moved back to Utah in '07.

***

These girls mean the world to me--and now are endeared to me even more for setting aside their evening to join Amanda and I for dinner at a Mexican restaurant (Gecko Grill) that I've been craving since we left (mmm....their shrimp & mango quesadilla...mmm...)!

Jenny Lynn, Carrie Bennett, me, Kristin Farnsworth, Melody Bearman, Amanda Beebe

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I couldn't believe how Mel's girls had grown! Alex (left) used to babysit for us during piano lessons for 2 years (from when she was 10-12) and I taught Autumn (between Mel & me) piano when she was 8! Now they are both gorgeous, sweet young women!

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A highlight of my day was finally meeting Amanda's baby, Emily

So sweet! So beautiful!

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Here's the exit on "the 60" (freeway)

that we used to take to get home.

Then left on Baseline,

Straight through Farnsworth/Sunland Village,

Right onto Hawes,

Keep headin' South on Hawes, Pass the church,

Left on Medina,

Right on Eugene,

Left on Meseto, and keep on goin'...almost there...

Until the corner of Joslyn & Meseto, 2425 S. Joslyn to be exact!

The best part of visiting the old neighborhood was seeing how much the trees have grown in just 3 years! Especially the Mexican Fan Palm that Brett and I had planted in the backyard corner. At that time it was just this little tree that looked more like a bush. Now it's over the fence!

I've missed all the palm trees!

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Washburn Piano on Val Vista road is where I had my piano recitals

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I had been so-looking forward to attending the Mesa Temple. It's such a beautiful building, inside and out, and February is a perfect time to visit. 70 degrees, the flowers all in bloom (and smelling divine!). I saw five brides getting their picture taken!

I was very grateful Amanda set aside her Saturday to spend the day with me, and to her husband Doug for being so willing to stay home with the kids while we went out and played!

The sky was so breathtakingly blue it brought tears to my eyes!

Thanks for going with me, Mom! I loved spending that time with you, laughing on the plane, in the airport, in our hotel room, with Ethel (the trusty GPS) in the rental car, and every where else that we squeeze in a good chuckle. You make a great best friend! Plus, you make me feel less guilty eating pecan cinnamon rolls from Cinnabon. (***stomach growls***)

"you spin me right round, baby, right round..."

What's the best part about visiting Daddy at his office?

Getting spun round 'n round in his chair!

time to rest.

After staying up all night, I'm ready to retire early tonight. But before I lay me down to sleep, I wanted to tell my sweet husband and dear children how much I love them! There's no one else I'd rather be with than them. They make my heart smile and my spirit soar! I'll be dreaming of you 'til I wake. See you in the morning, darlings!

"Joy cometh in the morning..."
Psalm 30:5

heartaches.

Last night I was up for all but 2 1/2 hours. Don't get me wrong; I was exhausted and wanted to sleep. However, I could not due to an uncomfortable feeling in my chest. It was the same feeling I experienced last May after I had thought I was having a heart attack (which I'm assuming looking back now was an anxiety attack, a first for me). I didn't have another anxiety attack last night--just the unnerving feeling in my chest that I've experienced several occasions in the past 9 months. It's not necessarily painful. The only way I can describe it is it feels as though something isn't right, isn't normal, is "off", as though I am on the verge of feeling something painful. It's very frightening, if you want to know the truth. I tried to think of all the possibilities: we'd had a large dinner, so at first I thought it might be heartburn or indigestion. And my back/neck hurt all day yesterday so then I thought perhaps that was affecting my chest muscles. But I took a Tums and Aleve for those symptoms and yet my chest still was freaking me out. I'm not sure what to do. My instinct says I should get it checked out, but what do I do if I already have? Last summer I underwent an extensive series of tests ($$$!) and was finally told by a cardiologist that my heart was healthy, that he could not explain the symptoms I'd been having (he suggested maybe it was a pinched nerve, etc), and that I had no reason to worry.

Easy for him to say.

sweet Avaree Jane

We've been antsy to meet our new niece/cousin, Avaree Jane, who has proven to all of us her strength and will as she's grown from being a NICU Preemie over the past couple months!

Halle can't get enough of her. For 8 years she's been the only granddaughter in the Taft family. On the drive over to finally see Avaree, Halle smiled and said quietly, "I'm on my way to meet my new best friend." She cannot get enough of this little bug!

You forget how little they are!

i love it when i open my front door and see this:

Feb. 5th I responded to a knock on my front door, only to find my threshold empty except for a box on the stoop. I smiled, as I recognized Brett's favorite flower company. Anxiously I tore into the box and caught my breath when I saw the gorgeous (and fragant!) bouquet he'd selected to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our first date!