Jude's blessing

Jude's baby blessing was such a special, wonderful day. Jude is lucky to have a faithful, loving, strong father who works hard to honor his priesthood. The blessing was beautiful. Jude is special and it was amazing to get a little glimpse into his future. My heart gets tingly when I think about the awe-some things Dan voiced.

He is one loved little man. His entire extended family and great grandma and grandpa were in attendance! He was loved and doted upon like no other. He was as precious as ever and stole everyone's hearts. He got a little weary at times, unsure of what to make of so many people constantly smooching and holding him, but it was great. He surprised us by how well he did on the plane, so well-behaved and unphased by the ridiculously loud take offs and landings. What fun those tiny little changing tables in the lavatory are! Or when we walk down the whole plane to get to the front lavatory, get him undressed and realize I forgot a clean diaper... Oops! Thank you flight attendant for fetching it for me.

It was a memorable weekend with both Dan's and my family. It was nice to all get to spend time together and just relax and get to know each other better. We spent Saturday in old-town Sacramento. Dan's mom put together a lovely, perfect little picnic that we enjoying overlooking the river. We then just walked around and and enjoyed the sites. The weekend was pleasant and pleasing. We had delicious food thanks to the hard work of Grandma Mulder, played games, and spent most of our time looking at, holding, playing with, laughing at, kissing, hugging, and squeezing Jude.

The rest of the week was spent playing Wii, Killer Bunnies, Bananagrams, some movie-watching, some fishing, some shopping, a night out on the town getting Chinese food and bowling, and just relaxing enjoying being with Dan's family. Mother nature was being sassy and decided to rain every single day we were there so our illustrious outdoor plans were replaced with indoor activities, but we loved being there! We even snuck in a bike ride and a motorcycle ride on our one clear afternoon. Oh, it just feels so nice to be in the presence of California.

Grandpa's kind of enamored...

We like to sit around and stare at him...

Kris might have beamed like never before... :) 

Fell asleep with his little hand on Aunt Kris. She's in love. :) 

Uhm, can you blame her?! 

Personalized drinks Mama Mulder made! How perfect! 

The Grandpa's keepin it real. Thank you for carrying my purse, Dad!

Great Grandma lovin :)

The blessing outfit :)

The weekend wouldn't have been complete without an intense game of Clue...

A morning at the mall... 

He sucked his thumb for the first time in Great Grandma's arms! 

Fishing trip with Dad and Grandpa. Jude was such a trooper.

He hung out in the car seat covered in blankets the whole time since it was pretty freezing.

Leatherby's!

Bowling was the best. Everyone got a strike!

Breastfeeding while bowling. So efficient!

My mom seems awfully happy to be cozied up next to Bill Clinton...

Navy brats... :)

We nothing less than love and adore our sweet child. The joy he has brought into our lives (and I dare say, many others!) is unbelievable! We are so thankful for loving and supportive families to help us raise and love this child. :)

Sweet Sabbath

Oh, how sweet is the day of the Sabbath. (I feel like I should use correct grammar and punctuation for this post. I do know how.)

Sundays are divinely appointed and designed. A day where if we are smart enough we will listen to the commandments and not shop, study, or really work at all. To me, that sounds like the greatest day ever! Then why do we have trouble following it? Maybe six days of relentless work just is not enough for some. For me, it's plenty. We can and should work on Sundays, but nice work that is full of service and love. We can visit our friends and family members, administer to the sick or afflicted (where Dan is at this very moment, in fact), or even make cookies and deliver them to people! (That one sounds like the most fun to me.) 

Our world bombards us with crazy music, busy commercials and advertisements, immodest clothing and language, and other inappropriate things trying to squeeze their measly little way into our lives. It is nearly impossible to be a normally functioning person in society and not be affected by these influences. That's where the Sabbath comes in. One day a week we are protected from the abounding evils around us. The television stays off (unless you are watching a wholesome film of some sort), the music stays pure, and the errands get a day off. We get to be at home with our families... loving and enjoying and being happy. This day is very needed once a week. We love Sunday and are thankful that once a week we are able to take the Sacrament and remember our Savior. 

Sundays have gotten harder for me over the past two years, but I have gained an added appreciation for them. My schedule is a little odd. I work eight nights in a row and then have six nights off. So every other Sunday it's a struggle for me to get to church, let alone be pleasant and participatory. I think I have done pretty well. I go to Sacrament meeting every (99% of the time) Sunday and all three meetings 90% (maybe 85%) of the time (minus emotional breakdown nights were I simply can not function without alligator tears running down my cheeks). I have really grown to appreciate an uplifting three full hours of church. Three hours of church on no sleep and a tired body and worn-out attitude don't make for the most attentive Rachael. So every other week when I get to sleep the night before church, wake up and spend a little time getting ready, and feel like I am actually there during church is really a special treat for me. 

I wish I did not work on Sundays at all, but thankfully I am still able to go to church. We have made it work, but I have vowed to myself to never work on Sundays again. I didn't fight hard enough for it when I started my job. I know they probably could have worked around my insistence to not work on Sundays. I have learned from this experience and want to grow and become better from it. The gospel is first. Going to church every single week is of utmost importance. I won't ever let this get jumbled with worldly concerns again.

Thank you, Dan, for giving a beautiful talk today and how the little things in life really make the biggest difference. How are we supposed to have meaningful scripture study and prayers and listen to the Spirit in our lives and fight off temptation if we do not attend church on Sundays and partake of the Sacrament? This truly should be the crowning moment of our weeks. I am thankful and blessed I have the opportunity so readily available to me. :)

"you're so lucky that i'm around..."

so the other night i had a bad night at work. like, so upset. so distraught. so hostile. so beaten. i came home and was the most uptight, worked up, pitiful thing i'd ever seen.

sundays are already hard. i get home at 7:40, hurry and get ready and have to leave and eat breakfast (i have to eat breakfast) by 7:50 (that's less than ten minutes to get out of my nasty scrubs and sagging face and try to get ready for church!). dan has meetings at eight that he must attend, so then i get to church (we share a car) and get to sit in the drafty foyer for an hour and welcome people and let the missionaries entertain me.

so last sunday i got home and hurried and got ready, snickers bar in hand for breakfast. and only had five minutes this time. i was teaching young womens during the first hour to top it all off. after my horrible, horrible night i didn't know if i would be able to teach with the Spirit. i was.. i hate to say this but i was filled with the horribly hateful feelings. i didn't know how i was supposed to go to church and teach my sweet young women. we got in the car, already running late, and as we started to drive away i put my head down on my knees and just started crying. it hit me. dan tried to comfort me but i was unconsolable. dan turned the car around and pulled back into the parking spot. he looked at my puffy red eyes with tears running down, pouty lips, and disgruntled hair and said "i'm going to skip my meetings. you are the most important thing to me." and that he couldn't just leave me that way. so we came back upstairs and he made me a smoothie and said a prayer for me and we talked about happy things and watched lds.org videos until i felt better. (click for the particular one i love)

and i did feel better! thanks to my sweet husband. thanks to the atonement of Jesus Christ helping me let go of ill feelings (for a time, at least) and have the Spirit with me to teach.

[he's kind of like my knight in shining armor who rescued me from misery. oh, and in case you don't believe me... this picture is from the other day when he opened the door for me. he's too precious.]

laugh, cry, and love it...

we watched this video for family home evening and it brought happiness to our souls! i couldn't love mormon messages more!

serenity in simplicity: LOVED!!

In my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we hear truly inspired leaders of our church speak to us two times a year. Over 20,000 people meet at the beautiful conference center and millions more listen in church buildings and homes around the world. We also get to hear the angelic Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

These are not just sermons or lectures that we hear, they are messages from our Heavenly Father, sent to us through these inspired men who study the scriptures, ponder, and pray to prepare these talks. These messages, if listened to and applied, will truly bring more joy, peace, and direction in your life. They have in mine!

I had recently been feeling a little bit overwhelmed and stresssed. I knew conference was coming up; and I prayed that I would be able to be comforted and receive, through the Spirit, the messages I need. My prayers truly were answered perfectly. I have felt so much peace and love in my life, just in these past few days. The messages I heard were for me, giving me those answers I had been praying for. I received promptings from the Holy Spirit and now feel equipped to go on with my day and face my challenges with strength and faith.

My testimony is humble, yet it is one of faith and commitment. I know I have a Heavenly Father who loves me, who is aware of me every day, who answers my prayers, and who has given me tools to make it through the journey of this life, happy and loved. {And isn't that really what we all want?}

President Uchtdorf's words struck me right in the h-e-a-r-t:

"It is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions. This is a simple but critical lesson to learn. It may seem logical when put in terms of trees or turbulence, but it's surprising how easy it is to ignore when it comes to applying these same principles in our own daily lives.

When stress levels rise, distress appears, or tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace, or even accelerate, thinking somehow, that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be.

One of the characteristics of modern life seems to be that we are moving at an ever-increasing rate, regardless of turbulence or obstacles. Let's be honest; it's rather easy to be busy. We all can think of a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia, even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives. It is said that any virtue, when taking to an extreme, can become a vice. Over scheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones, and ambitions albatrosses around our neck. The wise understand and apply the lessons of tree rings and turbulence, they resist the temptation to get caught up in the frantic rush of daily life... They follow the advice, "There's more to life than increasing its speed. In short, they focus on the things that matter most.

There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.

You can listen to the whole talk here [last talk of the Saturday morning session]. I hope I can really do this! I will keep you posted, but I'm going to need some encouragement. :] Well... I clearly loooved conference. What were you favorite talks?

[Dan and I started a new tradition to go on a "family walk" between sessions on Sunday. We started it out with a bang this year and went to the arboretum. It was simply blissful!]