When Life Gives You Lemons

1. Yesterday was Halloween, one of my favorite holidays!
2. Me and my boys had a lazy morning that consisted of cartoons in bed.
3. Chase made some bomb cookies. Yes, he's better in the kitchen than I am, it's fine.

I absolutely love fall, I could live in a world where it was fall year round. The leaves changing colors is my favorite; I love all the orange, red, and yellow colors. I love the chill in the air, bundling up in a sweater, drinking hot chocolate, it doesn't get better than that. Visiting corn mazes, hunting for the perfect pumpkin to carve, haunted houses, Halloween just brings such a thrill to this time of year. I had been looking forward to Halloween as soon as the calendar hit October 1st. I was so excited to take Camden to a pumpkin patch and to go trick or treating. Life just gets better when you get to share your favorite experiences with your favorite little person. And Camden soaked up every little bit of all the fun fall activities!

We had so much fun dressing up as members from the cast of "Grey's Anatomy." Chase and I weren't too creative, as it just looked like we were headed to work (hello scrub life), but Camden rocked his little doctor look! It was so fun to watch the gears in Camden's mind all click when he realized that these people were giving him candy while we were trick or treating! He was so good about saying thank you after he received each wrapped piece of heavenly goodness. My mom heart was just ready to burst as I watched him have such a fun time. There is nothing better than seeing your child happy! 

So thankful to be a mom to the perfect little boy, and the wife to my sweetheart. 

Halloween makes me so happy. Fall makes me so happy. My boys make me so happy. I'm just happy to be so happy! But you know, this happiness, it's my decision. I choose whether to wake up in the morning feeling like a total grump or not. I choose whether I dwell on the hardships of life each day. And to be honest, it's not always easy to choose to be happy. 

We attended another appointment with our ultrasound specialist last week. While we were there, the doctor was able to find more abnormalities with sweet little Bliss. Along with her fused heart valve and spina bifida, she also has clubbed feet, a cleft pallet, and clenched fists. It was disheartening to hear the list lengthen, but I didn't want to be sad about it. So I decided to be happy instead. We got to hear Bliss' heart beat, and that made me happy! We saw her move on the ultrasound and they printed pictures for us, and that made me happy! She will be going straight to the Celestial Kingdom, and that makes me happy! She gets to be a part of our eternal family, and that makes me happy! 

I believe that you get to choose the outcome of your situation. It can make you better, or it can make you worse. In my case, I don't ever think, "why me?" Instead, I think, "why not me?" Why not experience something that will draw me closer to my Savior? Why not learn to love my family more, to appreciate my husband more, to feel blessed with the knowledge of the gospel more? I think our trials mold us into better, stronger people, but only if we let them. 

Don't get me wrong, I have my down days. And I mean, hard, depressing, down days. I have felt so overwhelmed in regards to making all the arrangements for a funeral. I don't even know where to start when it comes to that, what twenty-one year old would?! My mom constantly reminds me that time spent worrying/stressing is simply wasted time. My mom's words pop up in my mind whenever I begin to think about the funeral. I have to remind myself that I can still be happy because my little Bliss is still with me! 

But even when the time comes that Bliss has returned to her heavenly home, I can still be happy. There are so many things in this beautiful world that make me happy. 

Lists make me happy. I love writing out a to do list and crossing things off as the day goes by.

Sunrises make me happy. After work when I'm driving home, I get to watch the sun make it's debut over the beautiful mountains; bit by bit the valley is illuminated by the glow of the sun. 

A full tank of gas makes me happy.

Music on the radio makes me happy. 

The mountains make me happy. I love taking drives up the winding roads and looking at all the beauty mother nature has to offer. 

Freshly vacuumed carpet makes me happy. Oddly enough, I love that vacuum smell. 

I love writing on white boards with expo markers. That makes me happy. 

I'm happiest when I'm wearing a hoodie and sweats, bring on the comfort.

A clean house makes me happy.

Taking pictures makes me happy.

Hearing my son and husband play together makes me happy.

Talking on the phone with my family makes me happy.

Funny movies make me happy. Nothing beats a good 'ole romantic comedy. 

The feeling of sand running through my fingers makes me happy.

Swimming makes me happy.

Card games make me happy. And also competitive. But mostly happy.

Campfires make me happy.

The gospel makes me happy.

My two boys and sweet angel girl make me happy.

Being a mom makes me happy. 

It is honestly and truly not hard to be happy. There is so much in this life to be happy about. We were created to feel joy. But it's up to us to find those things that make us happy, and to dwell on that joy. Yes, trials and hardships are inevitable, but it's like that timeless saying, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade," and lucky for me, lemonade is my favorite.