Happy 4th of July Y'all

Swimsuit courtesy of Van Horn Family :)  

I can't decide if she looks festive for the 4th of July or if she looks like a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader!  Woohoo!

No more Oliver Houdini!

 Matt's parents came to visit us this last week.  We spent most of the time fencing in our back yard (when I say we I mean Matt and Phil).  I think it turned out amazing! 

 Matt enjoyed a little man bonding with his dad.

This is what you get when two perfectionists get together... perfection. 

 Before...

After

 Oliver was not a fan of the rain storms we had. 

My thoughts on self-improvement

I believe this life to be a field trip.  If we pay attention along the way we can learn and grow.  We also have the option to wander off, get lost and learn nothing from it.  It is up to us to decide how much we will take in.  With this belief in mind I have kept an ongoing list of things I don't like about myself and ways I can improve my weaknesses.  First on my list:

1. Morning Person

This is one that might take a lifetime to obtain.  One blessing in my life that has brought me closer to this goal is having children.  Especially Miss Hazel.  Thank you darling for the 5:45 wake up call this morning.

2. Overwhelming Wimpiness. 

Now this may be something I don't have a lot of control over but I can at least put in the time and effort.  I was always on the loosing team in softball, always the last chosen to be on a team (regardless of the sport) and could not run a mile without nearly losing my lunch.  The one thing I have learned from this weakness... choose a sport that does not require any athletic ability... GOLF!   Good thing I did because it is required to be a member of the Wheatley clan.  I have accepted my physical flaws and choose to focus on what I can to.  I can run in a straight line (most of the time) and even touch my toes if I bend my knees enough.  I put in my 40 min three times a week and call it good.

3. No Good Reading Skills

Five years ago I decided to tackle this one by setting a goal to read one book a month.  This may not sound like much but considering up to this point I had read about twelve books in my whole life, it was a huge undertaking.  Half a decade and about 100 books later I wouldn't consider myself a literary genius but I definitely feel comfortable in my abilities.

4. General Laziness.

I think this is a problem for most adolescence.  The problem is I never out grew it.  I carried with me a "Just enough" attitude.  I am capable of getting A's but why put it the effort when I can do nothing and get a B?  So once again I have changed my way of thinking and made a serious effort to never get anything lower than an A in any class I take.  My last four classes were Human Anatomy, Medical Terminology, Statistics, and Chemistry.  (Just to warn you I'm about to give myself a huge pat on the back) I'm happy to say I got A's in all these classes.  As Matt would gracefully put it, "You have the potential to be a very intelligent person Rosanna".  Looking back at my time at USU I am embarrassed by my meager effort and notable laziness. 

5.  Atrocious spelling.

Here is a list of words I misspelled while writing this entry.

literary

genius (clearly not)

definitely

adolescence

intelligent

embarrassed (totally)

wimpiness

atrocious (still not sure if I spelled this one correctly)

Obviously this is a work in progress.  I take comfort in knowing Matt can't spell either and he is a doctor. 

Just something to think about.  Making a list and setting goals has benefited me over the years.  I am a firm believer in the power of paper.  Something magical happens when we take the time to write down our desires.  It somehow makes ideas more tangible. 

I know I have a lot of progress to make in many aspects of my life but I try to keep my favorite quote in mind  when I get discouraged.  

"Once you get good at something you don't have to be bad at it anymore!"  by yours truly.  

Well, at least I think it's profound.  If you looking for something even more uplifting when you are feeling down read Ether 12:27

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

It always helps me remember this life is all about overcoming weaknesses.  I believe we come to this earth with both talents and flaws.  It's how we balance the two that makes us who we are.

Gosh my kids are cute!

I couldn't decide between the sepia tone and color so I guess you have to look at both until I figure it out.

Round Two

 Ehhhhhhhhh

 Noooooooo baby Hazel!!  Moooooove!

I think I'm giving up on the notion of getting a picture of Oliver holding Hazel.  Dr. Love only loves from a distance. 

What a wonderful quote!

I don’t want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk’s lawn.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor’s children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone’s garden. I want to be there with children’s sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived. ~ Marjorie Pay Hinckley

 I got a little dirt under my fingernails while planting my grape hyacinths.  Does that count?  I guess I need to be weeding my neighbors garden instead.  Heaven knows she has enough weeds to make me a saint!

 Oliver and his big boy blanket from Grandma Tina!!

 He is in car heaven

 Drake and Oliver sharing a yummy snack of strawberries and blueberries

 Miss Hazel

Trying to figure out the Jump-a-roo

My beautiful blue eyed babies at bath time

Oliver helping me with my Hostas. 

 

Hazel hasn't quite figured out a proper giggle yet.  For now it comes out as a bird squawk/ coughing noise.  She cracks me up!