Gratitude

Like most people at this time of year, I have been feeling more acutely grateful for the blessings in my life. I read a message by President Eyring and it touch me deeply. I have seen a direct coorelation between the gratitude that I feel and my level of happiness. My circumstances have not really changed. But I have drawn closer to Heavenly Father through gospel study, and therefore, have felt more grateful, and then more happy with my life. I like this part of his message because he stresses the need to pray for gratitude.

"Most of all, sometimes it is hard for us to be sufficiently grateful for the greatest gifts we receive: the birth of Jesus Christ, His Atonement, the promise of resurrection, the opportunity to enjoy eternal life with our families, the Restoration of the gospel with the priesthood and its keys. Only with the help of the Holy Ghost can we begin to feel what those blessings mean for us and for those we love. And only then can we hope to be thankful in all things and avoid the offense to God of ingratitude.

We must ask in prayer that God, by the power of the Holy Ghost, will help us see our blessings clearly even in the midst of our trials." (President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).

A little blog stealing

My friend Kristi finds the most inspiring quotes for her blog. This one was especially relevant to me today. So, rather than print it off and tape it to my wall I decided to copy her and put it here.

“The family by its very nature is an institution based upon righteous self-denial and sacrifice. It is not an individualistic or self-centered organization, but a highly cooperative and other-centered institution. Successful families require that men and women make substantial and long-term sacrifices of their time, money, and personal fulfillment in order to dedicate their efforts to rearing the next generation. Selfishness in any form or degree weakens the bonds that hold families together. The rise of selfishness in our society is the fundamental underlying trend that undermines families and makes successful marriages so difficult. Many today find it irrational to devote so much time and energy to the welfare of the next generation, but if this commitment is not deeply rooted in society, civilization will decline and perish, while children grow up in a moral wasteland, confused, unguided, and unloved.

“Moreover, the sacrifices that fathers and mothers make for their children ultimately will result in the greatest possible happiness for those making the sacrifices. In all of human experience, there are no joys more tender, no love more sweet, no fulfillment higher than that found in the family. Those who honor the calling of righteous parenthood will find their souls refined, their hearts purified, and their minds enlightened by the most important lessons of life. They will rise to far greater heights of happiness than those who engage in the narrow and ultimately unsatisfying pursuit of self.”

Bruce D. Porter, "Defending the family in a troubled world", The Ensign, June 2011.

"Party Fleas" and "Speed Bugs"

Rather than try to describe every photo in the previous two posts I thought I would show the pictures and follow them up with a brief explanation of the party. My beautiful and talented forever-friend Irene took the pictures for me so I would be sure and put something about Millie's birthday on this blog! Knowing that- I had to go through with it! Let me just say that many, many beautiful things have happened to our family that have not been recorded on this blog. I would love to say that I have still been doing my part of "Family History" or "Family Historian" and recorded it elsewhere. But, I haven't. My daily life is a serious roller coaster of emotions. Really frustrating moments followed by mundane followed by frustrating followed by mundane followed by... glorious.

Clearly this little girl is a beacon of light and life and energy to me. She seriously sparkles when she is happy and cheerful or devious and defiant! She takes my breath away. She knows what she wants and how she plans to get it. She is only four but she is a powerful kid. For the past 9 months we have been planning her birthday party. It ended up that everyone we invited was able to attend (18 kids and most parents!!!). We had pizza and veggies and fruit- cake and cupcakes from Publix. Millie and I made the "treasure box" together. It was her idea to cluster the colors of jewels all together. She wanted her party to have princess games. When the games we had come up with went by really fast we ended up coming inside for a Family Home Evening favorite of Millie's: Charades. We decided to make it movie themed but that was a bit complicated for the kids so we ended up doing animal charades. They collected lost jewels, made crowns and shields, got wands and swords, fought off the "bad knight" (daddy) and even got to attack him with water balloons. I hope it was everything that Millie dreamed of. On my end it was more stressful than I imagined and oh-so hard to corral 18 kids to do anything much less listen to me as I set the scene for the next game but I think it was worth it. Millie hasn't started planning her 5th birthday yet- so that is a good sign. Good moments or horrible ones, I am so proud she's mine.

4 years old Part 2

4 years old

Kid History

Joe is always showing me videos on the Internet. This is one that actually made me laugh. A lot!

This one is for Joe

We miss you!

Joseph: "My own body communicates to me that I need to play video games all the time." In a whining voice.

Me: Laugh.

Joseph: "No really," with a pleading look, "my own body clock says that it's time."

Me: "Maybe later bud."

A Day of Sadness and Rejoicing

Today was a big day for two reasons. For about 7 1/2 weeks my dad has been battling a bout of Pancreatitis and all the complications that accompany that illness. After a blessing by the hands of my oldest brother essentially releasing him from obligation to "fight it out", he peacefully passed away at 1:51 am. My brother did not have to make the decision to take him off the various forms of life support. He simply pronounced the blessing that was God's will and within 2 minutes my father had passed. I am so grateful for all the time that I was able to spend with my father. He is a fun, passionate, loving, spontaneous, intelligent man. He is one of those people who, when focused on you, can understand you and make you feel understood. My only regret is that I don't have MORE pictures/memories/time spent with him. It is just like people/the movies always say: death really puts things in perspective. I encourage all who read this to make the most of each and every relationship they have because we truly never know how long we will have with that person. (The pictures above were taken last thanksgiving in San Diego at the Old Ferry Landing in Coronado. It was the last time we saw my father. He and MaryBeth were very helpful and fun on the beach that day.)

We rejoiced in the birth of our son Isaac today as Joe and some dear friends and family blessed him in church. The men you see in the picture are those who helped with the blessing (and our Bishop who is not in the picture). I am so grateful to have such a wonderful support group behind me. It was a beautiful blessing.

Births and deaths are a very basic and essential part to Heavenly Father's plan for us. That knowledge does not take away all sorrow and sadness but it can give us comfort as we go through life and experience loss. I know that I will see my dad again some day, that he will hold me in his giant arms and kiss my face.

Thanks to Irene!!!

Thanks to Irene I have some beautiful newborn pictures of my little Isaac! She was ready to shoot when he was only a week or so and I- due to my many post pregnancy issues- was not ready for that little bit of stress until he was four weeks old!!! I am still counting them as newborn photos though! It ended up being a lot of fun- for me at least. Christian (Irene's little one year old) had another opinion I am sure but Irene handled it all like such a pro! Thank you Irene for taking the time and energy to shoot my little guy! You did fantastic!

Isaac Rafael Lowry

He was born on St. Patrick's Day (March 17) a little after 3pm. He was 10 pounds 14 oz. and I had the epidural for the first time. I think it was the right decision although I still firmly believe in the benefits of natural childbirth- as crazy as most people think I am. I adore little Isaac and I am so grateful for the flood of love that comes and makes all the inconveniences of motherhood worth it. I would not say it is easier to have the 3rd child rather than the 2nd. From my experience so far it is a challenge to have children- but well worth the effort and sacrifice. The older kids love their baby brother. Joseph's preschool teacher said that in all her years of teaching she has never had a student more excited about having a sibling as Joseph is. Mr. Enthusiastic. Millie is very excited as well and likes to participate in as much as she can that has to do with the baby. It would be cuter if it didn't coincide with her absolute rebellion against any and all direction- be it gentle suggestion or loud command. She spends a lot of time in time out. Isaac seems to have an easy going temperament- we will see if that changes. I am so grateful to all the people that have called, brought food by (before and after the birth), played with my kids and offered to play with my kids. I am grateful my in-laws were able to watch the kids for a few days when we were in the hospital. That was not easy. I am also so glad that my mom got to come out and spend a week with us. It is always so special to have her here. Most of all I am grateful to Joe- who rarely understands my emotional fluctuations but is always willing to pick up the slack. It is not easy being the target of service but it is greatly appreciated. It always makes me think of the Savior.

The End is Near

I don't ever remember how hard pregnancy is so I thought I would write about this time. At least this way I can make an educated decision on wether or not to get pregnant again in the future (just kidding... but not really). So if you want to remain in the dark about any discomforts of pregnancy just tune out now.

Pregnancy number three has been my most difficult by far. For the first 20 weeks I had a marked increase in nausea and vomiting, fatigue and intestinal problems. I experienced about 10 good weeks. Around 30 weeks serious hip pain began to impede sleep. As the weeks went by more physical aches and pains appeared as the baby grew and placed strain on my ever weakening yet blossoming body. Of course all the while trying my best to be a good mom dedicated to exposing my children to new experiences and people, crafts and educational preschool games. Up to this point I have felt like I "endured it well", at least I hope I have. Although I do imagine myself several times a day as a mother cat nursing her young. Have you ever seen the face on a cat while she is nursing? It was a long time ago for me but I remember her squinting her eyes slightly in an effort to relax but very clearly seeing a kitty grimace on her face. So that is the image that pops into my mind. Not because my 4 1/2 and almost 3 year old kids are still nursing- they most definitely ARE NOT- but maybe because I feel like that momma cat. Making an effort to look relaxed and enduring the pain or "hardship" of motherhood well but also exposing that secret grimace to anyone looking a little closer.

So the end is near. Of course it could not come too easily. Last week I and my two little ones came down with the nastiest cold that will not go away. You can imagine how it affects them: fatigue, loss of appetite, endless congestion, body aches and pains, coughing, ear infections, etc. I usually boast a very sturdy immune system (very sturdy people should have something to boast about, right?) but I guess not pregnant. It almost feels like it is never going away. I say almost, because I do have faith and I have been praying to get better so I can focus on bringing this baby into the world, but it is not happening as fast as I would like.

So, sadly I feel like this is the worst example I have been of "enduring to the end" in pregnancy so far. My husband comes home early to cook and clean and play with the kids. A few angelic friends have already brought me food (I haven't even had the baby yet!). I feel no guilt at laying down several times a day for a rest or simply refusing to bend over and pick up the toys, crayons, papers, pretzels strewn about the house. I complain to anyone really asking how I am doing. I am just waiting. Hopefully the weeks post-delivery will be better than these.

Happy Birthday to Lacy!

This is Joe. Although this kind of thing is far from new, I wanted to let Lacy know how special she is to me and our family. Even better, I wanted to do it publicly. We met almost 8 years ago and have been married for almost seven. She's brought 2 beautiful children into this world and dedicated her life to the well-being our our family. She is selfless, thoughtful, and caring. She is a wonderful friend, a loving sister, and devoted daughter. She is the woman and wife of my dreams and I am lucky to have her.

We are about one month from welcoming a new child into our family. I am so glad that I married a woman who embraces the responsibility of motherhood the way that Lacy does. I'm even more grateful that she has chosen to put up with me. These are some pictures from the time that we've been together.

This was taken about 6 weeks before we we married.

This was at Marco Island, after our first anniversary. I love her hair in this picture.

Later that summer we went to Utah and hiked Mt. Timpanogos. One of my favorite pictures of her.

Joseph loves snuggling with his Mommy. He says that she makes him warm. No one soothes his leg aches or gives him comfort like his mom. He was around 10 months in this picture.

This is Lacy with her sweet kids. I love how Millie calls her Momma. There are MANY things that Millie prefers her Momma take care of. Can you blame her?

This was last year, the big 3-0, a surprise party thrown for Lacy and her friend Lauren by their friend Alicia (with husbandly help of course). I can't believe that a year has passed. Thank you for being who you are, and making me a better man. I love you Lacy! Happy birthday!