When it's cloudy and the sun hasn't shone in a few days, I go to my happy place:

The Children's section of the Library!!! :)

This place is next to sacred for my kids and I. My kids run in and out of the aisles laughing and playing tag and then get told, no running allowed! by the library worker, and so they have to stop. But the next time we go I let them do it again. Until someone asks them to stop. Then they play computer games. (Does that make it not so sacred?)

Meanwhile, I browse the children's books and make the most delightful discoveries. Seriously, happiness is children's books.

I found good ones this round. Like this one with the most beautiful pictures:

This is one Jesse wants to read over and over:

And this one, it's so good to teach kids that everyone has a story and not to judge. It almost made me cry.

Sometimes I even pray to find good books. Haha! To be fair, I pray about a lot of things throughout the day. I always walk out with a huge bag of books. Makes it very awkward carrying the library bag, the carseat with Afton inside, the diaper bag, and trying to manage Jesse and Breanna at the same time. Sometimes I feel like the library workers are giving me the evil eye, especially when I just paid off a $15 library fine. Tee-hee.

Then we get home with this big bag of books and I can't wait to read to my kids. Hours of bonding.

I'm so glad my Mom instilled in me a love of books. She's a writer, you know. I hope to instil that same love in my kids, but especially of the Book of Mormon. (Jesse is currently clutching a small Book of Mormon to his chest, wearing his Indiana Jones hat, and sleeping. Talk about break my heart!)

Finally, a picture: (High River parade day!)

Dandelions

I've been thinking a lot lately about living in a fallen world. Things aren't meant to be all rosy.

The other day Brad came home with a green spray bottle containing a crazy chemical called Weed-B-Gone. He went out and promptly sprayed every budding dandelion in our front yard. The next day they were shrivelled up and dead, just as he'd hoped.

Jesse was quite distraught and told Dad "you can't kill anymore dandelions!!"

Breanna has to pick some whenever we see them. She usually gives me one, which I hold onto for about a second before I discretely get rid of it.

Who ever labeled dandelions a bad thing anyway? They're pretty.

(Pictures from our walk home from church today)

This is getting ridiculous! I need to do a blog post! But here's the thing, and perhaps you can relate.

I'm going along, do-de-do, living life and life is getting good. Really good. Everything seems to be falling into place making the hard work of the past year and a half worth it. I go to bed one night and eat an entire big bag of mini-mini eggs while reading a good book. Life was good! It was so good! And only getting better!

Well, I'm pretty sure Life saw the situation and went, hmmmmm...this girl needs a good, solid trial.

BAM!

One trial for you, Sarah!

I woke up the next morning feeling really groggy, exhausted, irritable, nauseous and then the stomach cramps began. Fatigue, nausea, stomach cramps. I thought maybe it was the flu but 3 weeks later, I knew it wasn't the flu. They still don't know what it is. So whatever. It's gotten better this past week so I'm back at life again. Thank goodness, because life is so, well, good.

I can't help but talk about my precious baby. She is something else, I'm telling you. She has an old soul. Sometimes my very un-cuddly, busy baby suddenly hugs me. Then she just talks to me and gently snuggles some more. Yes, we knew each other in heaven.

So now you know my excuse, I'll be blogging again. So stay tuned :)