Brothers

A few days ago we put Tanner's crib in with Ethan. It's gone really well and the boys go to bed with no problem. Ethan has been the first to wake each morning and quietly gets out of bed and comes into our room. Jared is already at work so Ethan lays in bed with me for a while until Tanner wakes. Ethan loves having Tanner in his room. The first two nights after putting the boys down Jared and I listened outside the door to see what would happen. We heard many cute conversations such as:
Ethan: Tanner if you don't lay down you will have to leave my room!

Ethan: Tanner, I love you! Do you love me?  silence
Ethan: Tanner, tell me you love me. Do you love me?
Tanner: Uh-huh

Tanner has been pretty sick the last few days and one night he woke a lot but Ethan seemed to sleep through it. This was our conversation in the am:
Me: Did Tanner wake you up in the night?
Ethan: No, he didn't. I love having Tanner in my room.

Ethan: Tanner I am making triangles with my feet. You want to see? Can you do that?
You hear Ethan asking many questions and Tanner most often watches and replys with a uh-huh.

Ethan's shirt got something on it so he asked me to take it off. While cooking dinner Ethan and Tanner both come in with their shirts off and Ethan says, "Mommy, look at us. We are cool dudes!" Here they are flexing their muscles.

To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship

This year the Fisher family set goals for each month that we are trying to accomplish. Last month our goal was to attend the temple and to continue to attend once a month throughout the year. This month we are to read all the General Conference talks. Last night Jared and I read Richard G. Scott's talk on The Power of Scriptures and we really enjoyed it. Here are a few thoughts he shared:

Scriptures are like packets of light that illuminate our minds and give place to guidance and inspiration from on high. They can become the key to open the channel to communion with our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

The scriptures provide the strength of authority to our declarations when they are cited correctly. They can become stalwart friends that are not limited by geography or calendar. They are always available when needed. Their use provides a foundation of truth that can be awakened by the Holy Ghost. Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world.

Great power can come from memorizing scriptures. To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change. A memorized scripture becomes an enduring friend that is not weakened with the passage of time.

Newport Beach pics

This weekend Betty was so kind to offer her beach house to us. It doesn't get much better than a beach house right on the water. We had a blast! It's so relaxing and the boys loved playing in the sand and water. One of the many perks of living in southern California is being able to play in the water in February without freezing to death. I've been wanting beach pictures for quite some time so I asked Kim to come down and take some pictures of us. We got some gems for sure.

Cute moments

This morning when Ethan woke up he walked into our room - Jared was already at work and Tanner was still sleeping, so I told him to climb into bed. He got in bed without saying anything and very quietly started whispering a prayer. He started out with a few normal things, thanking Heavenly Father for a good sleep, thanked him for Jesus, and then closed by asking for Heavenly Father to help him stop coughing. He then laid there without a word and rested with me. It was sweet to see Ethan have a need and turn to the Lord in prayer. I was unaware that he had a cough or had been coughing but this was something he felt he needed. I love the sweetness and innocence of a child.

Tanner loves to take our stepping stool from the bathroom and use it to play in our hall closet. While I was getting ready for the day, I watched him do this and then heard him fall. I look over to check on him and he said, "Mama, I ok." His vocabulary is constantly growing!

On the way to Costco last night Jared and I were talking about his Infectous Disease rotation coming up. I was saying that I hoped he liked it and asked what he would do if he didn't match somewhere, since that's what he is planning on doing for his career. He said, "I'll go to my plan B." I asked what that was and he said, "Law school!" I started laughing and of course Jared had a big smile on his face. What a jokester!

Be Mine Valentine

We had a very nice Valentine's Day. Jared surprised us by being home at 4pm with roses and candy in hand. It's so rare for him to get off that early but we were lucky enough it was a slow day at the hospital so off we went to get pizza and Jamba Juice to celebrate. Earlier in the day Tanner and I got some cute Valentine's balloons and cookies from the bakery to surprise Ethan with when he got home from preschool. We had a friend drop off cookies so we had plenty of sugar running through our veins but it was a nice relaxing day.

This afternoon while eating the candy that Jared brought me, Ethan said, "Wasn't that nice of Daddy to give you this candy? He loves you and you are his valentine." It was sweet to hear Ethan say something like this. I agreed with him and relayed the conversation to Jared later telling him how sweet it was. He is growing up and understanding so much more. It's so fun to see our boys grow up!

Molly's baptism weekend

Molly's baptism was very special and the spirit was definitely there. She was so happy and excited for the beginning of a new chapter in her life. It's amazing the joy and peace she will now experience in her life as she lives worthy of the spirit and guidence from the Lord. We have such amazing blessings from being members of the church. We were all so grateful to be a part of this special day with her. After the baptism we went to Koki's for dinner - similar to Benihana's type of resturant where they cook your choice of meat in front of you. It was a first for most of us and very fun! Jared of course gave Molly an amazing blessing at church on Sunday confirming her a member of the church.

Heather's Baby Shower

This past weekend Heather flew down for her baby shower. The boys and I went down to Tustin for a few days leading up to the shower and got to spend lots of time with her. We were busy most of the time getting everything prepared for the shower. Suzzie Marquis helped with a lot of the food which was so nice. We had her homemade eclares, homemade cupcakes with strawberry frosting, tea-size cuccumber and cream cheese and olive sandwiches, deviled eggs, spinach wraps, Rachael's yummy mascarpone cupcakes with a spiced cider, and punch to top it off. We were well feed! Mom and I made several flower arrangements, Rachael made a cute banner that said "Welcome baby Elise." Heather and Doug have chosen Elise as the first name after Heather's middle name. Heather has always dreamed of having a baby Elise. It's cute for sure! We played a few games and Heather opened gifts. She got some super cute girl clothes! All the little details made the shower really nice and of course Heather is so cute and so small. 

A little of this and that

On the way home from church we saw an ambulance and a man being carried out on a stretcher. Ethan asked if the man was dead and we said no but they were transporting him to the hospital for help. Ethan said, "He needs a candy cane." I said, "What would a candy cane do for the man?" He said, "He would hold onto the curved part and the long part goes to the ground." We then knew he was talking about a cane. We got a laugh out of it and told him he was referring to a walking cane and he said, "Oh yeah, I thought it was a candy cane."

The last few weeks Jared has been working nights from 5pm-7am. It is painful for both of us! It's hard for him to work all night and sleep in the day and my biggest fear is being alone and scared in the night. I have never slept alone and this was the first time I tried it for a night. I only got two hours of sleep because I was too tense to relax enough to fall asleep but I made it through the night! Jared gave me a blessing which gave me great peace. I had been mentally preparing for weeks before. I had faith that Heavenly Father would protect us and that He did. It turns out while Jared was working nights we had two brake-ins on our street during the day which didn't do much to help my situation but we are past that rotation until next year.

Jared is going be the third year chief resident next year which means he will be an assistant to the main Chief Resident. This will look good on a resume and he will basically help put schedules together for moonlighting and do various administrative work. Many people want him to be chief resident after next year but it tacks on an additional  year and we just can't do that. This summer Jared will start applying for different programs throughout the United States for his fellowship in Infectious Disease. There is usually two spots per program which makes it relatively competitive. Kaiser does not have the fellowship program so we will be leaving, which has been one of the main drawbacks about doing an Infectious disease fellowship. Kaiser has been good to us but we know this is the step we need to take.

Molly is getting baptized on February 11!  It's amazing that just a few months ago we were sitting together at Mormon night at Angels Stadium when we first started talking about our faith. We have had countless talks since, which led to missionary discussions and finally a baptismal date. She has asked me to speak on the Holy Ghost. Jared will be confirming her a member of the church. We are excited she is taking this important step in her life.