I guess it's time to UPDATE!

We have had a crazy few weeks.  Mike has been working insane amounts of overtime, I have been working scheduled daily overtime and every other Saturday and our poor kids have been visiting with Grandma and Grampa a LOT lately (actually they really don't seem to mind this part).  I typically have a really hard time 'letting things go' but have been learning slowly that when life happens, children grow and both parents are working, something's gonna hafta give!!!  In the past month I have been at work anywhere from 47-50 hours/week, my husband has been at work anywhere from 55-65 hours/week, and our three children seem to all at once have learned new things that require extra supervision at rapid speeds (the art of crawling, the art of reading and the art of using markers that bleed through the thickest paper and stain the kitchen table).  So in lieu of not feeding/bathing our children, deep-cleaning our house every weekend, or you know, trying to squeeze in a hopeful 6 hours of sleep every night, I decided that my blogging could wait a few weeks.  Despite the feeling of crazy busyness our family has experienced the past month, there are only a few real notable milestones to report:

Milestone #1:  Elias Moves Forward!

This was a big one.  At 11.5 months, Elias Peter Willmott wiggled his little baby body in a forward movement to get to a toy.  He has been sitting on his own forever.  He has been rolling both ways since about 3 months.  He has been pulling himself around in circles while laying on his belly for many months now, but this whole forward movement thing was something we had just kinda come to terms with him NEVER doing.  But he shocked us all one beautiful day when he wiggled and army crawled his way right out of his infancy into full-blown, gating up the stairwells, locking all the cupboards, finding edges of pages of my books bitten out, pre-toddler hood!

Along with his new moves, he has also mastered the at of clapping (he can make a really satisfying sound once he gets going), he can say his version of "what's that?" which sounds like this, "hhuuhhsaaaaa?" while he points his chubby finger at the item in question, and he can play a mean game of 'peek-a-boo' either with the hands-to-face method or the blanket-over-head method (he excels at both, a very well-rounded child).

Milestone #2:  Noah Learns to Use a Zipper!

This is a major accomplishment in his little life.  He has been trying and trying all winter to 'put the mouse in the house' (I know, it sounds... off) but he has finally gotten the hang of it and he couldn't be happier.  He is so proud when he does it, it makes my heart melt!  It is however, often times offset by the biggest-ever-freak-out-of-frustration that occurs before he calms down enough to be able to see the little zipper through the tears.  But the freak-outs are getting fewer and farther between.  He is really getting this down.  I'm sure by the time he doesn't need to wear a coat anymore he will have nailed it!  Now on to wiping his own bum and doing up his own pants!  (Haha, you're welcome for the visual!)

Milestone #3:  Abby Learns to Read and Spell Full Sentences!

This is so cute.  I love hearing her sound out a sentence all - SUH SUH SUH- ULL ULL ULL- OWE OWE OWE- WUH WUH WUH- LUH LUH LUH- YUH YUH YUH (Slowly).  It is super adorable and really rewarding as a mom to listen to!  She is also in the phase of writing, where the sentences that she writes are now decipherable to a mom or dad, but still so cute.  The other day she wrote a letter to her friend Emerson and this is what it said:

To Emrsn.  I Love You.  I mis you when you ar at hom.  When wil you be at skol.

See you can totally understand that!  She is doing a superb job with her spelling and reading and will walk around with a little notepad as I clean the house saying things like "How do you spell scrub the toilet, how do you spell fold the laundry".  I love her natural desire to learn, it's really amazing to watch!

Milestone #4:  Elias Turn ONE YEAR OLD!!!

Elias turned one last Friday, March 4th!  Usually we like to do a little early morning happy birthday and open presents when the kids all wake up.  This year however, I had mentally prepared myself to be on the outside of this little event because I leave for work just before or right at 6am when I am on day shift.  Our kids tend to naturally sleep until about 7, so I knew I would miss out on this one.  But Mike surprised me and suggested that we wake them all up early and he would just deal with the chaos while he tried to get ready for work so I wouldn't miss one of my favourite little mommy pleasures (birthday morning hugs and kisses).  So we woke Abby and Noah up and went down to wake the big birthday boy up! 



He was so cute, all groggy and unwilling to wake up to begin with, but once we gave him  some presents to help open, (the term help being used VERY liberally as Abigail and Noah did most of it) he woke right up and was back to his adorable smiley self! 

Noah and Abby were to cute.  I took them out to pick out their gifts for Elias.  Abby picked a very age appropriate toy.  She really put some thought into what Elias would enjoy playing with.  It was cute to see her think of him as she made her choice.  Noah originally picked a spaceship that had guns to 'pewm the aliens', then we talked him into a more age appropriate toy.  But just as we were about to leave, Noah spotted a 'future NBA star' plate, cup, bowl, spoon and fork set and decided that Elias would definitely "want his own fork" so he changed his mind and picked that.  Too cute.

We had a fun little 15min birthday morning before mommy rushed off to work.  Then after work, the kids and I met up with Mike for the 'McDonalds birthday dinner' that Abby was sure Elias should get "like they both do" LOL!

The next day we had Elias' first family birthday party.  The guest list included: Mommy, Daddy, Abby, Noah, Grandma, Grandpa, Nanny, Grandpa, Aunt Sarah, Aunt Bekah, Uncle Graham, Alexis, Aunt Kirsten, Uncle Andrew, and Aunt Charlee.  He was missing a few of his loved ones but still had a fabulous turn-out!  I will say one thing though, it is extremely hard to judge how much food to buy when Elder Willmott isn't here.  I'm sure I will get the hang of it, at just about the time he gets back from his mission. 

Big Boy!



All the big kids busy doing the work!



Such a cute birthday boy!

We had a great 1st birthday with our littlest man!  They are all just so freaking cute, I can hardly stand it!  Thanks to all our family who made his day so special!  And to the ones who couldn't be there, we missed you and love you all!  Happy Birthday Elias!!!

Milestone #5: Mike Caves and Orders Bell ExpressVu so he can 'Enjoy the Tournament in HD'

Haha this requires no explanation.  But it was a big day.  BIG.  Only time will tell if he can actually find some free time to watch tv now.

We've had a good month.  Life has definitely changed a bit in our house but we are making it work!   I have found a small blessing in being busy, and that blessing comes in the form of quality versus quantity.  I am finding endless joy in my 'half hour cuddle with Noah before work' time that I didn't recognize when I had all day to cuddle.  I cherish the text messages I receive from Abby that say "I. Mis. You. Mommy. I. Love. You.  Love. Abby."  I love to get hugs and kisses from my husband when I crawl into bed at the end of my day, as he rolls out to begin his, and I melt every time I walk down the stairs when I wake up on afternoon shift and see the rewarding smile of my one-year-old angel, so excited just to see me.  Life is extremely rewarding when you have people to love and be loved by.  I am so grateful for the life we have, the jobs we have, the family we share, and the joy that comes with it.

May joy and peace be with each of you at all times!

Love from the Willmotts

Why We Are Who We Are

Since I started this blog, I have been focusing my writing on what has been our biggest adventure to date: Raising our family.  But really, it has just been in recent years that when I say ‘my family’ my thoughts jump immediately to Mike, Abigail, Noah and Elias.  And that is because I have forever been part of, instead of ‘co-founder’ of a stable, loving and well-balanced family.  That is of course, until the day I married Mike and we became a family of our own.

Both Mike and I grew up with a strong emphasis on family and have been blessed with parents who make it all work.  We are well aware that nothing is perfect, but perfect was never what our families pretended to be.  I am so proud of every single one of our family members and since I often take the time to make known how proud I am of my own children and my husband, I would like to write a few words to share my feelings about all of the other ones who we love.  Also, let’s be honest, they likely make up roughly 93% of my ‘followers’ so hey, target your readers right?  Lol.

So here it is, our family and what they mean to us.  We are so blessed to have so many people to love.

The Craig side:

We have a mother and a father who have been an example of consistency.  As they approach their 29^th wedding anniversary this April, they have shown always a consistency of love, trust and faith.  They are wonderful parents and exceptional grandparents.  I am so proud to tell people the story of you.  I love that I have seen your relationship change over the years because it has helped me realize that I should never stop.  Never stop trying to be more than I was capable of yesterday.  I am so grateful for your powerful example and I love you both.

We have a sister who has been around the world and finally came back with her Masters of Scientific-earth loving-planet saving-energy and renewable resources-something.  It’s pretty freaking amazing!  I have been able to experience the other side of life through your letters and photographs.  Your spirit is incredible and I know that I have been blessed with a sister like you so that the part of me that always wonders at that other side of life will on some level understand.  I love you for the way we used to be together, the way we are now, and the eternal friends we are destined to become.

We have a sister who has a degree, has made a career for herself and has formed a beautiful relationship with a wonderful man.  I love watching life through your eyes.  You have flair that isn’t often seen.  Exciting is the word that comes to mind when people ask specifically what each of my sisters are like.  You help me realize the truth behind the term ‘special sister bond’.  You were by far one of my worst enemies in high school, but are bar none one of my closest friends today.  I love you both and I am so proud to be your sistah-frand.

We have a sister who is so fashionably inclined, effortlessly beautiful and a supremely gentle soul.  You are the emotion to this family.  You may laugh and take this as a joke, but I think it is beautiful.  I love that you carry your emotions on your sleeve.  This quality will allow for true relationships to be formed in your lifetime and that is something not everyone will experience.  You don’t have a hard time expressing your feelings and this is wonderful because it means that those you love will always know how much you really love.  I love you so much and am so proud of you in so many ways.

Because we don't have a recent family photo where Elias has been born!

The Willmott side:

We have a mother and father who have been a light of faith and testimony to us.  I would never have believed that I would sit here this day and believe with such undoubting surety of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And it is though your prayerful diligence that we found this safe place in which to raise our children.  My soul is eternally grateful for this gift of light.  You are an example to me of living through an uncertain life with absolute certainty of purpose.  Your example is powerful and uplifting and I am so thankful for you both.  I love you both and admire the life you have built together.

We have a sister who has recently married a great man, has a beautiful step-daughter and is pregnant now with her first child.  I am so proud of the life you and your husband are building for your family.  I love to watch your excitement grow as you approach any event, big or small, in your life.  Life is fun because you are in it.  I truly believe that we are placed alongside certain people in our life who will serve specific purposes to our own story and I believe that we are here together to be friends.  I love you and your family and am anxious to watch and learn what the future has in store for you.

We have a brother who is serving a fulltime mission all the way on the other side of the country.  I have watched you change in the most ways I’ve ever witnessed a person change.  Yet your changes have always seemed so natural and logical.  I believe this to be because you are such an honest and true person.  I have never met someone so capable of befriending a whole room of strangers in such a short period of time.  You are contagious, unforgettable and remarkable all at the same time.  I am so proud of you and the choices you have made.  You have saved my family through your example and willingness to rise above and for that I am so grateful.  I love you and look forward to being together as a family again.

We have a sister who is working hard to finish her schooling and has recently become engaged to a really great man.  I am so extremely proud of the choices you have made for your life.  You are helping people in ways that you may never fully know.  I get excited when I think about what the future holds for you.  I feel a sense of overwhelming joy when I think about the head start you are giving your future and your future family.  You have always been so strong-willed and I have loved watching that characteristic translate into your choice to marry a man who has only ever been perfect for you.  I love you both and am so happy for you.  This world is wonderful and your choices together have just made life even a little bit more so.

We have a sister who is smart, determined, well-spoken and who is currently chasing her dream of becoming a teacher.  I have never met someone who has had a life filled with so many people who love her.  Ever since you became a part of my life, I have always marveled at how easily you attract not only friendship, but long-lasting, substantial friendship.  You have an immeasurable loyalty to those you love and I have always respected enormously the care and compassion you demonstrate for both your family and friends.  You have an immensely strong moral compass.  Stronger than any teenager/adult I have ever known.  This is a phenomenal and extremely attractive quality. I am so proud of your ability to think outside the norm and challenge life from a higher perspective.  You will bless your family and your future because you have the ability to recognize a firm foundation.  I love you as the youngest of my siblings and as the amazing woman you are.

We are so lucky to get to love so many different people at such a high level.  Our love for each of these people is from so many different perspectives.  We can love from the role of a sister, brother, in-law, aunt, uncle, daughter and son.  And we can love them all as aunts to our children, as uncles, as cousins, as grandmas, nannies and grandpas.  What an amazing thing family is.  How wonderful it is to be able to love on so many different levels.

We are so thankful for each of you and we love, pray for and think of you all daily!  We hope you all have a great week filled with choices based on love, happiness and family.

Life is beautifully wonderful when you’re looking in all the right places.

Love from the Willmotts



Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho...

This past week has been a crazy hectic blur.  It all started last Thursday.  Mike took the afternoon off of work to spend some time with the kids and I since I was expected to return back to work in February.  We were sitting around the kitchen eating when the phone rang.  Every time I have heard the long distance ring lately I have braced myself in anticipation that it might be Toyota calling me to tell me when my official 'return to work' date is.  You see, Mike is excited for me to return to work so we can finish paying off student loan debts and me, well not so much.  So as the phone rang I thought to myself 'of course, the one time Mike's actually home during the day Toyota will call so he can smile and rejoice in my misery.'  And wouldn't you know it, it was Toyota.  So Mike stood smiling in anticipation as I sat in complete juxtaposition of his mood crying and suffering through my phone conversation which ended in a promise to come in ready to start building cars on Monday.  Needless to say I had a few minutes of sheer panic thinking of the list of tasks that needed to be accomplished before Monday, but after a well needed hour of running I was able to clear my head enough to start counting the many blessings that having a job brings to our family.

We may have had a laundry list of tasks to complete in the few short days before I returned to work, but the most important detail had been cemented months before and for that I am so thankful.  We posted an ad for a nanny many months ago and easily found a woman who met each and every need our family had.  I work two shifts, a day shift which runs from 7-430 and then an 'afternoon' shift (put in quotations because I feel they use the term afternoon QUITE liberally) which runs from 5:45-3:15am.  So we needed someone who could be here pretty early, before Mike left for work, and stay pretty late, until Mike or I could get home, 5 days/week.  The kids have really enjoyed having her here with us and have played more board games and completed more puzzles in the past week than they have in the past year. 

I will however admit that the mommy in me had a really hard time letting someone else take over.  I started this week on the afternoon shift.  I would get to bed in the morning around 4am and usually sleep until about noon.  So for approximately 4 hours each day there was a mommy and a caregiver both present in the home.  I tried mostly to stay out of the picture so that the kids would have a chance to establish this new relationship in their little lives but I often found myself standing at the edge of the room listening intently as Noah teetered on the edge of completely losing it over a few issues.  At one point Noah thundered into my room as I was getting ready for work to proclaim that "Lisa won't give me a snack.  Can you come down and give me one?"  To which I had to reply "Noah when Lisa is here it is Lisa's rules that we follow." Which was met by a forceful "But you're the MOMMYYYYY!!"  followed by a little howling and a whole lot of wailing.  I struggled at first with what I've decided is my "But I am the Mommy" syndrome but as the days went on and I started to see the relationship developing between my children and their new weekly primary caregiver, I decided quickly that I needed to redefine the definition I had given to my role as a mother. 

I am realizing that my previous definition of motherhood; my role to always be there for every need so that they will visibly see how much I love them, to care for them the way I want them to care for their own families one day and to protect them from anything and everything bad in this world that I can possibly prevent, is giving way to a more refined and mature definition of what motherhood should evolve into offering.  My work-in-progress definition based on this next stage of our life seems to be taking on this new meaning:  Motherhood is becoming able to let them go just far enough for them to learn that love comes in other forms than family.  Motherhood is helping them realize, through the example of another, that devoting your life to caring for other people not out of a duty of family but a more eternal duty to humanity is an admirable and desirable quality.  And motherhood is helping them realize that life is big, the world is diverse and although I hope that the ultimate safe place for our children will always be our familial home, I want my children to know that there can be a secure trust built between two strangers.  That allowing my children the opportunity to build relationships in a safe atmosphere is so much a part of my motherly responsibility to their overall growth.  Although I am still struggling with the thought that I won't know every exact detail of my children's lives, that my house will sometimes be a little dirtier than I appreciate and that I more than likely will miss that first time Elias actually moves (yes that's right people, our 10.5 month old baby is still quite content to chill out in one spot on the floor while Abby and Noah serve his every need) I am in the beginning stages of realizing a greater potential for growth.  I am so blessed.  I have been blessed with a job that will help us to reach our future goals, blessed with a husband who is supportive both inside and outside of the home, blessed with children who are adaptable and happy, and blessed with a caregiver who is willing to provide love and care when circumstances are such that Mike and I can't.  These are the thoughts I conjure when I forget and begin to pity my new life.

This past week has been a lesson in adaptability, sleep management and letting go of the expectations of what life should be after a 14 month placement in the home.  Our family had a good start to our new life and I am praying that we will continue on the path that this week has established (fyi, any and all other prayers for success are graciously accepted and tremendously appreciated).

I am off for another week, this time on the day shift.  We hope you all have a wonderful and successful week.

Love from the Willmotts

Too good to pass up

Just a quick note.  This morning the kids were eating breakfast before we headed out to school, and Abby asked me a question.  Her question was: "Mommy, when people are rich they have lots of stuff, so can I tell people I'm rich because I have lots of family?"

All I could say was "You can tell everyone that Abby."

Absolutely we are rich.  Richer than I ever could have dreamed we would be.  And this is why:

Because of this...

And these...

And because of this...

And this...

And of course this...

Rich beyond my wildest dreams.  Life is beautiful and so wonderfully fulfilling when you're looking in all the right places.

Love from the Willmotts

Confessions

Well December was a kind of thoughtful month for me.  I spent some time digging deep (I hope nobody finds that funny) when I was deciding what to blog about.  And while it was fun and purifying, it made me emotionally tired.  I’m kind of done with being all introspective for a bit I think.  So this week I thought I would let you all in on a few confessions I have.  I think it’s so fun to read other people’s confessions because it gives me a chance to see how funny life is, how much the same we all are in such little insane ways.  So I put together a little list of some of the things that happen in my life on a regular basis that I find a little funny if not annoying.  I hope you enjoy reading this and I hope also that some of you might take the time to write down some of your own confessions.  It’s really fun to do and has really helped me to view the lighter side of life.

Confession #1

Sometimes I wear my pajama bottoms inside out because they always put the fuzzy part of the fabric on the outside:  What’s up with that eh?  It’s total false advertising too.  Picture this:  You’re browsing through a store, no real reason to be shopping.  So as a default you decide to buy pajamas (we all know nobody actually goes to the store intending to buy pjs.  They are totally ‘just happened’ purchases.)  You’re looking at all the neatly folded piles of pj bottoms checking out the colours, trying to mentally sort the 17 other pairs you have at home so you don’t buy the same colour you already have.  That would just be wasteful!  You find some really cute ones with penguins standing on icebergs.  Awww, and there are baby penguins JUMPING off the icebergs!  They are so cute and so perfect and you totally don’t have that colour of blue yet!  So if they are just as warm and cozy as the little penguins would suggest you will totally buy them and stay in tonight and watch a movie just so you can wear them!  So what do you do?  You take the pair off the top of that neatly folded pile and pet it softly at first to test the initial fuzziness.  Then maybe with a little more force next time, you really want these to be the ones.  Then of course if you’re shopping with your friend you do the whole “hey feel how soft these are”.  And she does.  So you’ve both pet and patted this neatly folded pair of pj bottoms and they are exactly everything you hoped they would be.  You’re ready to make your purchase!  Wonderful, except that you failed to do the one thing that would save you from your future pj drawer full of disappointment.  And that thing is to rip apart that neatly folded bundle of happy and stick your arm right inside those puppies to feel what your thighs are REALLY getting!  I don’t know about you, but if I have to shave my legs in order to comfortably enjoy a pair of ‘comfort pants’ I am so over that relationship. 

If they really wanted people to know what they were actually getting they would fold those suckers inside-out and let the truth speak loud and clear. But they don’t.  They fold them into this rubik’s cube of fluffy comfort so you have no CHANCE on earth of actually finding out what you’re buying before you sit down that night all scratchy-thighed and full of buyer’s remorse.

I am going to start a pajama company called “Happy Thighs” where all of my products will be intended to be worn inside-out and that will be cool, and normal and so comfortable.  And now that I’ve posted this, if anyone of you steal this business idea I will sue you.  You’ve been warned.

Confession #2

Sometimes I’m thankful I go to church for the simple fact that I would not have worn real clothes or put on actual makeup all week if not for Sunday. 

One week back when Elias was in his first few months, (I think it was a Wednesday) I was blow-drying my hair in the morning and Abigail stormed into our room all huffy with her arms crossed and her face all screwed up.  I turned off the blow-drier to ask what was wrong.  I was expecting the usual “Noah hit me” or “Noah won’t share the couch”.  But instead I got a “NO FAIR.  I wanted to watch Spongebob today!”  I was totally confused and unable to connect the dots on this one, so I said “Ookaaayyy, and why can’t you?”  To which Abby replied “Because we have to go to church!”  Then I said, “No honey it’s Wednesday, we don’t go to church today”.  Her face immediately morphed into a surprised happiness as she then flippantly asked “Then why are you blow-drying your hair?”  That was when I first realized my problem.  It’s probably been 5 months since the incident and I’m a little ashamed to admit that I haven’t taken many steps towards a solution.  Yeah, some weeks are better than others, but as a whole I’m averaging probably 3 out of 7 on a good week.  And it’s not for lack of trying,  But after a night of waking up 3 times for 3 different late-night emergencies, 6am comes way too fast and if I miss it, even by an hour, the day is here and there are mouths to feed and yaddah, yaddah, yaddah.  Yeah these are excuses.  I’m a bum and I know it.  But let me tell you, if you go all week without makeup, when Sunday rolls around, you sure feel fancy.  So balk if you want, but I’m grateful for all the blessings of the gospel and it just so happens that feeling fancy turns out to be one very satisfying one!

Confession #3

I am aware of and recognize the clever marketing ploys of our world, but still find myself extremely influenced towards their purpose.

I will explain this confession with two specific examples.  I remember very distinctly how offended my senses used to be by the word spandex.  Do you remember when spandex used to be what middle-aged women wore as they unnaturally swung their hips back and forth, power-walking their way down ‘suburbian’ sidewalks with those dumb little 1.5 lbs hand weights in tow?  Spandex used to be fluorescently accented with greens and pinks and sometimes a zipper.  I used to swear up and down that I would never, ever wear spandex.  And after I was old enough to voice my opinion on wearing pre-pubescent matching legging/oversized t-shirt combos from Northern Getaway, I never again did… That was until someone, somewhere in ‘Advertismentopia’ started magically calling spandex ‘yoga wear’.  That was when I was like, “hey, yah I totally want to look like I do yoga!  Yoga is so cool!  I could totally do yoga, I should buy the pants.”  (And for the record, I tried it and I totally CAN’T do yoga).  So I went out, and bought a pair of ‘yoga pants’.  And somewhere in the back of my brain, the spandex center was wildly blasting a warning siren.  But all I did was half acknowledge that I actually owned a pair of spandex pants, and then I turned my thoughts to yoga.  So here I am as 25 year old me, owning various pairs of spandex pants and I’m totally ok with it now because I’m not calling it spandex anymore and neither are you.

Part two of this particular confession came to fruition on that magical day when Coca-Cola® took their famous Diet Coke® product and repackaged, reinvented and remarketed it as Coke Zero®.  Those geniuses in the marketing divisions at Coca-Cola® headquarters took the exact product they already possessed and targeted the ‘zero-calorie’ wave that was sweeping its way across the continent.  They fancied up the can, changed the name and captured a whole slew of faithful new customers without even having to come up with a new product.  So smart on their part, so dumb (as a general consumer population) on ours. And I totally knew what they were doing.  I realized exactly what was happening but still found myself asking at the drive-thru window if they carried Coke Zero® or just Diet Coke®.  How ridiculous am I?  I am sort of ashamed to admit that I am so knowingly influenced but at the same time I am totally ok with it as long as I’m sitting comfortably in my yoga pants with a Coke Zero® in hand.

Confession #4

I watch The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and/or The Suite Life: On Deck even though a) my children are too young to watch it, and b) I am too old to watch it.

There’s something about that pesky little Zack and his all too responsible brother Cody that I just can’t get enough of.  It really is a magnificent show.  And you know what?  If London were a real person, I would so want to be her friend.  She is funny.  And as I write this I am realizing how horrible a confession this truly is.  I may not be proud of it, but given the choice I would undoubtedly choose to watch The Suite Life over any medical drama out there.

Ok there you go.  That’s enough for today.  I have confessed a few of the idiosyncrasies in my life.  I’m sure I’m not alone on these.  But on the off chance that I am and you think I’m weird, I would just like to point out that I also pay my taxes (well Mike pays them), I take my daughter to school and eat three square meals a day.  I am actually normal I swear.  Well except maybe for the Suite Life thing.

Ciao for now!

Love from the Willmotts

Christmas, New Years and life threatening illness…

It seems so long ago that we actually sat around the Christmas tree with our families and celebrated the birth of Jesus, but that’s probably because we have spent the past week holed up in our home sicker than sick.  It seems as though everyone I talk to is sick right now, but I still maintain that our sick is SO MUCH sicker than your sick!!  Lol!!!  But really it feels like this sickness that is going through our family literally feeds and fuels itself off of each other’s attempts to regain any sort of health.  Abby started with it and she is on day 6 of fevers, chills, headaches and flu/cold like symptoms.  Every time I think she’s rounding the bend towards recovery she takes another hard fall back to a spike in fever and major loss of appetite.  I feel so bad for her!  Noah has it, Elias just got it yesterday, Mike has been sick for the past few days and I haven’t been sick like this since I was pregnant with Elias.  This is a BRUTAL sickness.  I guess I will add this past week to the ‘pro’ side of that list I mentally compile each year when I consider, then neglect to opt for the ‘flu shot’ that’s all the rave these days.

But on a more positive note, our Christmas was a wonderfully busy and eventful few days of celebration!  We spent Christmas eve and Christmas morning at our house with my family.  Christmas eve was a mess of my mom’s famous ‘pre-cursor to the event’ gift opening for the kids (Christmas Eve pjs to wear, a new Night Before Christmas book to read before bed and a super cute plate and mug for Santa’s late night snack), ushering our unwilling children into restless slumber, a rousing game of charades (our team won), and then a 2 hour ordeal of Mike and my Dad piecing together a massive train set while the girls watched season 6 of Reba.

The Train Set (It makes noises... oh yeah)

Merry Christmas!!!

We ended up in bed just after midnight only to be woken at 4:30am by the light ‘tap-tap-tap’ of an eager, yet patient 5 year old and her mightily impatient 3 year old sidekick.  I sent them back down to their room which held strong for about 15 minutes.  They were then invited into our hugely accommodating queen size bed to rest for a while and after 15 more minutes of being kneed and elbowed where no man should ever be kneed or elbowed, Mike resigned to failure and at 5:15 am he joined in all the excitement with a “well I guess we might as well see what Santa brought”.  So 5:15am we were up.  And by 6:00am Noah had succumbed to a full out melt down and was back in bed fast asleep.  Haha oh Noah.

Noah starting to lose it as Mike was reading the story of Jesus' birth!

Stockings!!!

My parents and Shawna and Kirsten came back over at 8am and we opened a mountain of gifts for the children which were all so wonderfully thoughtful and extremely well received!  We ate soufflé, bacon, toast and the Willmott family Christmas morning favourite “Cheese Dreams” (naming rights may actually be reserved to the Wright family, I’d have to check into it further) and had a really comfortable Christmas morning amongst all the chaos and carnage of Christmas past.  Elias had a beautiful first Christmas morning.  It was really fun to see him tearing at and later trying to eat the wrapping paper.  He’s the oldest any of our babies have been at their first Christmas and it was really a joy to watch him engage in the whole atmosphere.  It doesn’t take all the magic of Christmas to point out how amazingly blessed Mike and I are, but it sure helps to make it hard to forget!!

Andrew and Kirsten... What?! you can't see him??

Elias in his monster sweatshirt!!! 

Yahhhh Kung ZHU!!

A lotta Barbie!!

Just before noon we packed up as little as possible (we made sure we had each child but that was about all we really had room in our minds to ensure) and headed for Mike’s parent’s house.  We needed to make it there by 1pm so we had enough time to get everyone inside and settled for the 1:30pm date the Willmott household had with a certain missionary!  That’s right, Elder Willmott was calling home at 1:30pm to wish his anxious family a Merry Christmas.  Now I have never been present when a family has been in waiting for a call from a son/daughter on a mission, but I’m sure that if I ever get the chance to be around again when it happens I will jump at that opportunity.  It was such a beautiful thing to visibly see the anticipation and love each member of the family has for Elder Willmott.  I watched as a mother worried and fussed around a kitchen just to stay busy until she could hear the voice of her youngest son for the first time in four months.  I watched as a father milled from room to room studying the faces of each member of his family, concerning himself with the proper placement of his scriptures.  That gesture, in that instance symbolized strongly to me the link between the careful placement of the gospel in your home, to ensure the righteous success of your children.  I watched as a brother was unable to hide his smile knowing that soon he would spend a few minutes gaining insight into the intensely different life of a man he had grown through so much with.  And I watched as sisters who had been outwardly joyous about their chance to speak to their brother all week, fixed their hair, changed their clothes and prepared themselves physically the way any girl does when she’s about to participate an anticipated event.  It was so fun to watch everyone take their turn talking to Elder Willmott, laughing listening and immediately crying once they said goodbye.  Until this Christmas day, I had never understood the joy that hid in the stories people told about talking to their missionaries on their ‘phone home days’.  As much as I was grateful for my chance to speak with Elder Willmott myself, I was even more thankful to watch him touch the hearts of his family from across the country as he spoke to each of his biggest fans.  Missionary work is so beautiful in very obvious ways and absolutely breathtaking in ways I never could have imagined.  I am so grateful for Elder Andrew Willmott and the influence he is to those he serves, but so unexpectedly grateful for the influence his example has been right here in our lives. 

We had such an amazing Christmas.  It was a great first for Elias, third for Noah, fifth for Abby, 25^th for me and 27^th for Mike.  That’s 41 different potential Christmas memories between all of us and I definitely will put this one down as #1 on my list.  Christmas eve and Christmas day were amazing days because we were surrounded by our families but unmistakably because we were surrounded by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I sincerely hope that you all had the Spirit in your heart and your homes as you celebrated Christmas this year! 

Abby and Noah pointing to the leftover piece of 'Tim Horton's Donut' Abby insisted Santa
would appreciate more than cookies!!  They split the last bite... sickos!!!

How much did you loves these as a kid??!?!

New Years Eve:

Not much to report on this front.  We were sick as an emergency room.  I changed the clocks from 6:20pm to 11:40pm while Mike created a diversion since Abby conveniently chose last week to start learning how to tell time.  We YouTubed a countdown, enthusiastically wore hats, glow necklaces and bracelets and suffered through a lousy internet connection as we bumped and jumped our way down the count down, ensuring our kids every time YouTube struggled to load the next number that we were just ‘waiting for all those people in the world to catch up to us’.  Once we hit ‘1’ we yelled and air kissed our nasty, germy “HAPPY NEW YEAR” then quickly shuffled our sickies off to bed.  I was asleep by 8pm and Mike by 10pm.  We are that cool.  So at 3 days past the mark of a new year, I can sit without falling over for long enough to type out a meager HAPPY NEW YEAR to y’all!!

Sorry I have been lacking in posts lately.  I will resume my ‘Sunday strategy’ next week.  Again I wish you all a Happy New Year and hope nothing but the best for you and your families in 2011. 

Love and Joy, Peace and Happiness!

Love from the Willmotts

On What I've Learned So Far...

Given the title of this post, I think I should start by saying that in no way do I consider myself, in my vast 25 years of life, to possess any surplus of knowledge in any aspect of life.  Nor do I consider myself in any position to be giving any sort of advice on any subject.  I am simply writing this post so that in a few years I might be able to look back and maybe have a laugh, maybe shed a few tears, but most likely I will be able to discover how completely off the mark I was in my realizations of the world around me.   

It is the growth I am looking to document.  A way to tangibly see how my family and my mind have grown.  How, despite the feelings we all have that we were, are and will always be the same person, we are in fact not.  We move, we change, we progress, we digress and we are in constant flux.  I want to see that.  I want to document that.   I want to remember the me that I was when I was in my 20s and I want my children to know who I was and where I grew from.  So the following is what I know right now.  I am not worldly, I am no scholar, but what I have learned so far has been a lesson in life, love and the Lord.

On Life:

I know- That sprinkles and food colouring are tools that every mother should have in her bag ‘o tricks!  When ensuring the proper intake of nutrients in your child’s diet, there is no better way to get that food down those yappers than a small dousing of your child’s favourite artificial colouring and a few multi-coloured sprinkles to taste.  (note- chocolate, or monotone sprinkles may work in a pinch).  I must confess, I have been known to add food colouring to yogourt, milk and apple sauce and sprinkles to toast, waffles and let’s be honest, meat and potatoes (don’t judge).  Whomever it was that invented these household comforts, it is with adoration that I salute you. 

I know- That there is a monumental difference between having fun and being happy.  I spent much of my life confused in a mixed understanding of fun versus happiness.  I often equated the moments of fun I enjoyed to mean that I was happy.  But in reality, when that momentary “high” wore off and the fun was over, I was left with nothing but the chance to look forward again to the next time I could have fun in the moment. I found that when I gave up the various safety nets of substance induced fun I had put in place, I forced myself to find a way to be truly happy with the reality of life, not just the expectation of another fun time.  I realized that what I thought was ‘giving up’ certain means for fun, was actually allowing me to gain a purity and cleanliness to my life that made enough room for me to learn how to have shameless and honourable fun.  When I started to live my life in a way that honoured the importance of the true me, I allowed joy and happiness to enter into my life.  I have recently realized that fun lingers but joy lasts, and it is joy with whom I wish to live.

I know- That the laughter of my children is the most beautiful sound in the world.  A few days ago I was in a BAD mood.  Like a downright fightin’, kickin’ and screamin’ kinda mood.  I was getting ready to make lunch for the children and the kitchen was a mess, there were toys all over the room, Noah was whining for food NOW and I really had to pee.  I was trying extremely hard to make absolutely no sound so that the angry stream of thoughts that was running through my head would not make its presence known.  I was so close to setting the finished product of a cold hotdog, goldfish crackers, grapes and a cheese string on the table when Noah completely lost his sanity.  He LOST it, like complete insanity.  He was doing this thing where he screams REALLY loud then stops.  You think just maybe he’s going to pull it together before you turn into, well him, and then he screams again.  It’s horrible.  You have to try to catch the break between screams in order to get a scolding in and if you miss it, you’re stuck for another torturous 15-20 seconds of scream.  So I was timing my objection like a little girl waiting for the exact right moment to enter into a double dutch game when he coughed… and farted.  And it was a big one.  Possibly even a few decibels louder than his scream… THAT big.  Abigail, not missing a beat, chimed in with a “you tooted”.  Then, lo and behold, this screaming monster of a child looked at me, looked at Abby, looked behind himself at his bum and said, “That was a big one” then promptly erupted in laughter.  Abby followed suit, Elias started laughing at the pure joy of having someone to laugh with and all of a sudden I no longer cared about the mess, the toys or the incessant screaming and whining.  I still had to pee, but this moment of laughter was one of the most calming, relaxing and beautiful moments I can recall to this point.  And it was all brought to us by the letter F… followed by the letters A, R, T.  Laughter is beautiful and when it comes in the form of innocent peels of joy from your children, there is no messy kitchen out there that stands a chance.

On Love:

I know-   That I never really understood how much my parents loved their children until I saw them love my children.  I grew up with amazing parents.  I was loved, cared for, nurtured and guided.  There was never a question in my home about where my parent’s loyalty belonged.  It was with each other and with us.  So when I say I never understood how much my parents loved us, I do not mean that I didn’t understand that I was loved.  I knew their love existed, but it was the extent of their love I did not understand.  It wasn’t until recently, as I have been fortunate enough to witness the relationship my children share with their grandparents (and I speak not only of my parents but of my parents-in-law as well) that I have made the undeniable connection between the love that flows from parent, to child to grandchild.  Love is wonderful that way.  It leaves no gaps.  You cannot love a child without love for the reason they exist.  It is such a divine and intricate plan.  How amazingly circular the love of family is.  I have gained so much insight into who my parents are, and why they are who they are from simply birthing three wonderful children for them to love.  What a great means by which to understand more fully the love I receive from the ones who gave me life.

I know- That love’s memory is clearer than pain’s.  I think that in each of our lives when we come to our final days there will be an overlying tone to our whole life.  One strong emotion that has taken hold of the course our life runs.  At this 25 year mark in my life one clear tone is evident to me and that tone is love.  I have had so much love given, and I have had no shortage of people with which to give of my own.  Of course, I have had trials.  I have failed horribly and have been failed at times.  Although the memory and pain of my mistakes can still sting, none has stung long enough or hard enough to overwhelm to memory of the love I have experienced.  I know it will serve me well to remember this.  To remember through any future trials, that, at the risk of sounding cliché, “this too shall pass”. That when all is said and done, love will carry me further and longer than pain ever could.  Let not the memory of pain overshadow the light love, for it is in love that we live and in pain that we perish.

I know- That striving for a marriage built on a foundation of mutual love and respect is neither outdated nor impossible.  We are bombarded with the expectation that everything we build will eventually fall.  That nothing can be made strong enough to withstand rising divorce rates, diminishing family values and impending marital failure.  The reality of these expectations hit me like a ton of bricks one day when Abigail was playing with a friend.  She was playing house and she wanted to play husband and wife and the husband and wife were going to share a room.  Her friend then told her that her mom and dad didn’t share a room because her daddy didn’t live with them.  It made me so sad to hear a small child so accustomed to a reality that I could tell truly hurt.  I know that it’s ok and normal to fail, that ‘falling out of love’ has become a real reason to stop trying but I also know that there is a higher standard that we are meant to hold ourselves to.  I have found that standard reciprocated in the love my husband has for me and each day I thank the Lord that I have been lucky enough to find a man who encourages a steady course towards a long and happy marriage.  Marriage IS important and extremely sacred and I am so thankful for the examples of marriage Mike and I have in our life.  Thank you to our parents for being a steadfast example to us.  It is upon your example that we build the foundation of our relationship.  And it is through your example that we have learned to build with bricks and mortar, to nurture and maintain with highest priority the commitments we have made to each other. 

On the Lord:

I know- That a testimony of the Lord can make you a better person, make your life better and make your family stronger.  It wasn’t until I began to search my life for meaning and contemplate my true purpose that I realized that the Bible holds in it a standard of living that makes much more sense than the worldly standard.  When I was able to humble myself to the knowledge of a higher power than me, and accept that despite my firm belief that I ultimately control the world, I may actually not be the one in supreme control, I was able to search, pray and ponder the existence of God.  I found Him quietly one night on my knees in an empty room.  He didn’t speak, He just listened.  He offered a peace that I had been unknowingly searching for and wrapped me softly into His fold.  I am nothing close to perfect, but I do honestly feel that since I have come to know and love the Lord, I am a better person.  I am a kinder and more loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend.  I view my family and the sanctity that holds in a fresher and clearer light and I am peacefully working towards being a little better than yesterday.

I know- That Jesus is the Christ and that the beautiful, tranquil feeling that overwhelms us at Christmas time is the Lord’s assurance to us that Jesus is the road through which we can feel that feeling all year long.  I look forward with an open heart to raising my children by the example that Jesus Christ set.  I am thankful each day that we have been given the gift of a perfect example.  I celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus, with the fondness and love that I feel towards my children on their respective birthdays and that is because Jesus is the Christ. 

This is the final week before Christmas, and although I have been saying it all month long, I hope you all have a wonderfully Merry Christmas!!  May you enjoy each day and find love and joy in all you do!

Love from the Willmotts