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I'm experimenting with the look of the blog. Hopefully I'll get it all worked out soon!

Daniel James and Jared McKay

Yay the twins are here! They arrived last night at 7:11 and 7:12 by c-section. D.J. (I don't know if that's really what they'll call him, but for now I am) was born first and weighed 4 lbs 8 oz, Jared was 4 lbs 2 oz. They both let out very big cries. They are doing very well considering they are here early. BreAnn is doing well, she is still very swollen. The doctors are expecting the swelling to go down on it's own and she should be able to go home in a couple of days. The boys are in NICU and doing pretty well. D.J. started breathing on his own this morning and has had a bowel movement. Jared is a very good eater! The doctors say that normally one twin goes home before the other. There are five items they need to be able to do before they can be released; show they are gaining weight, breath on their own, have bowel movements, maintain body temperature and be a good eater. D.J. has more hair than Jared and their hair is dark like their mom's. It is a little too early to tell if they are identical or not.

Thank you to everyone for all the prayers and support for this new little family. I will post pictures when I get them!

Enlightenment in Empire

This past weekend we went up to Winter Park with Brian's family. On our way up we stopped at a little mom and pop restaurant that Brian had been to before. The food was delicious and the people were so friendly. It was as if we had walked into their kitchen and they were making us at home. The woman gave Matthew an ice cream cone and a book. She said she believed that children should have books. It was such a cute little place. It started me thinking about the saying "bloom where you're planted." This woman in her sphere of life is blooming. Matthew had such fun (he wouldn't settle down to eat his dinner) and I left feeling uplifted.

So I hope we can all do our best in whatever stage of life we are in or may be in. Perhaps we can spread a little bit of happiness to those we cross paths with!

New Year ponderings

The year got off to a wonderful start. Brian had the day off, I got some new running shoes, and we had lunch with some friends. Then on Friday my in-laws came down to watch Matthew so Brian and I could have a night "on the town." We went to the temple and out to dinner and Coldstone. We got to the hotel and watched the end of the Sugar Bowl. What a great game! Sunday was fun too. I love my little primary class, they're so cute!! We talked about some goals and activities they like. They were excited about all of them, so they should be easy to please :). And today we are venturing into the realms of potty training. I really want it to work, but we'll have to wait and see. So far we've had one accident and been in tears. We're going to try and use the little potty and see if that is less intimidating for him.

As we were waiting to start our temple session I was looking through the scriptures and I've decided that my theme for the year is Doctrine and Covenants 88:119-126, for the most part, I took out a couple of verses (sorry, it's kind of long).
119 ^aOrganize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a ^bhouse, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

120 That your ^aincomings may be in the name of the Lord; that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord; that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with ^buplifted hands unto the Most High.

121 Therefore, ^acease from all your light speeches, from all ^blaughter, from all your ^clustful desires, from all your ^dpride and light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings.

124 Cease to be ^aidle; cease to be ^bunclean; cease to ^cfind fault one with another; cease to ^dsleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be ^einvigorated.

125 And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of ^acharity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and ^bpeace.

126 ^aPray always, that ye may not faint, until I ^bcome. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself. Amen.

I think there are plenty of things in there for me to work on now!

I've also been thinking about resolutions and if I want to set any. James Harris gave a talk a few months ago (thanks James!) and spoke a little bit about weaknesses. Sometimes our weaknesses will go away, but sometimes they don't. The temptations I deal with the most are food, not exercising and reading. When I fail I end up in this downward spiral wondering why I'm so weak and why I can't get rid of these vices. Then I finally realized I just need to manage these cravings, not get rid of them. I've heard addicts talk about how they are always addicted to alcohol, they just learn how to control themselves, but the desire is always there. I also thought of that scripture that says to bridle your passions. I don't need to eliminate these "passions", just keep them within reason. Hopefully, if I work under that mindset I can make progress and keep my self-esteem elevated too.

On a completely unrelated note, how long can I keep my Christmas tree up? I have snowmen on my one tree so it's really more of a winter tree ;) When do you take yours down?

I hope everyone has a wonderful year!