No (other people's) Kids Allowed: October 2013

Cousins

While we were at the wedding, Tim's sister in Iowa watched Max for us. It was great to be able to spend some time with them over the weekend. Max had a blast. He was very spoiled while we were there. Those kids entertained him all day and he was in heaven. He still talks about it almost every day. Pam and her family are pretty busy so we were very grateful they were able to have Max tag along to all their family activities for the day. They claim he was well-behaved so that's good. Cousins are a wonderful thing, and Aunt Pam and Uncle Elijah of course.

Marriage Is What Brings Us Together Today...And Love True Love

Tim and I were invited down to Iowa for the wedding of our friends Andrea and Blake. They attend church at our congregation here in Milwaukee. When we first met this (dating) couple we knew we would love them. Blake has a Coexist sticker on his car, is an extremely deep thinker, and is also a very recent convert to our church. Andrea is getting her Masters in History, has worked in jobs involving social welfare, and loves to travel internationally doing good things for others. They are two bright, open-minded, loving, happy, intelligent people and I love spending time with them. I was ecstatic they invited us to their wedding. I was even more ecstatic when we actually witnessed the wedding. It was the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended. Not only was the setting gorgeous (white gazebo on a fall day) but the program was beautiful. Their vows were lovely and deep. I wish the temple had vows, I think it would make people think more about why they want to marry the person across from them. When you have it articulate it in words, it gives you clarity. They did such a great job. I keep bugging them about this but their guests were very good looking. I've never seen that many good looking people in person all at one time. As Andrea reminded me, Jack Kerouac said, "So I rushed past the pretty girls, and the prettiest girls in the world live in Des Moines.”
Andrea and Blake asked me to share a small message at the ceremony to help introduce all of their friends and family to other members of our church. It was an honor to be part of such a special and beautiful wedding.

Wedding Message: "I saw this quote last week and it made me think of the two of you. “Maybe some girls are not meant to be tamed. Maybe they are supposed to run wild until they find someone just as wild to run with.” Andrea is an adventurous woman and now she has Blake, a kindred spirit, to go with her on all of her adventures! I can picture them happily scampering around the globe together. I met Andrea and Blake this last year at our Mormon congregation in Milwaukee.

In the Mormon faith, marriage is believed to last for eternity, not just for this life. We also believe in life before death or eternity and we know this life is unpredictable. I think that knowing we are ALL children of God increases our ability to see the divine in others and be more patient with ourselves and them. Five years from now you may say “this is not the same person I married.” And in ten years from now you may say it again. And it will be true. And it will be true that you are not the same person either. We all change throughout our lives. Through your marriage with each other and your joint marriage with God, you can help make those changes for the better.

Isaiah 48:10 - Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

God will put each of us through a refiner’s fire in hopes that our experiences help us become the best version of ourselves, our truest version. An honest relationship with God and with each other will bring this out of you through marriage.

We must be true to our aspirations for we become what we reach for. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said “what we are worshipping, we are becoming.” So worship God and all the good that He embodies and you will become the divine person that He created you to be.

Life is a long and sometimes a difficult path to tread but it is better to tread it together than alone. Mark Twain was not a religious man but he was a romantic. His wife was his religion in a way. He wrote a short piece called the Diary of Adam and Eve which is mostly comical in imagining how they must have learned to get used to the concept of marriage and living together. But in the end Twain hits on a beautiful truth. Eve dies first and Adam mourning her loss says, “After all these years, I see that I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; it is better to live outside the Garden WITH her, than inside it without her. For wherever she was, there was Eden.”

Congratulations as you move forward intertwining your existence for all eternity and continually cultivating the divine potential in one another."

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God

September 1, 2013 we blessed Fitzwilliam Wallace Hassell in our church. A baby blessing is a tradition in the Mormon church where you name the child and bless him/her. Generally fathers or other men are the ones who give the blessing. My brother Sam was here that weekend so he was able to hold Fitz for the blessing while Tim blessed him. Tim and I had talked ahead of time about some things that we both wanted in Fitz's blessing. So far Fitz is just a very sweet, mellow child. He is honestly a joy to have in our family. I love telling him that. When I was thinking about what I wanted the blessing to say, I came across this

http://www.the-exponent.com/baby-blessings/ and I thought it was beautiful. Tim read it as well and ended up blessing Fitz with many of the same attributes. Tradition and ritual are two of the reasons I like being Mormon and a baby blessing incorporates both of those.

Happy blessing Fitzwilliam. You are a daily joy. You smile every time I look at you. You are my calm amidst the chaos. You are loved.

Bay Beach Amusement Year 2

Last year we had my all-time favorite play group at Bay Beach Amusement. Jenny and I decided we had to go again and bring the whole fam along, even our two newborns. Then our friend Lorri said she wanted to come even though her baby was like 2 weeks old. She is tough. It is a two hour drive and just a tiny children's amusement park right on the lake but I love it. I hope this becomes a yearly tradition.

Baby Ollo and Fam

We had a fantastic weekend with my brother Sam, his wife Natalie, their baby Oliver, and their dog Corvis when they all came up from Omaha. Sam came to help Tim tare a wall down in our bedroom to expand our closet. I'll post house projects later to showcase their great work. It was extremely helpful to have Sam here, he new exactly what to do. Natalie and I spent our time watching all three children (remember one of them is Max so that's like watching 2 kids), putting an entire sectional together from Ikea, and making lots of food.The best part was when Natalie and I left everyone and went to the mall. Natalie is a great shopper. She helped me find a suitable dress for a wedding with my post-baby body. I also happen to find an additional dress and skirt. It was the first time I had bought a dress in years. Oh and of course we went to Brennan's to sample delicious fruit, cheese, and dips and to Kopps for Red Raspberry custard. Tim and I base most of our outings with visitors around food. This crew is coming back for Thanksgiving and we are going to try to come up with some fun things to do since it will be freezing.

We all tried out the teeter-totter at the beautiful park by our house.

Oliver is the most well-behaved child I have ever met. I love him. Max liked Oliver but he loved Corvis. We put the Max and Corvis out in the mudroom for about an hour and they seemed pretty content.

Max took off for the beach. He loves the sand.

The Boys

These boys are the best thing in my life. I hate to sound cheesy but they are really, really the best.thing.ever. All three of them.

Max helped me pull weeds for 30 minutes until he finally told me he was tired and went inside.

Three little buds

Not sure what he is doing.

Max loves to cut the grass (that's what they call it in WI, not mow the lawn)

See what I mean? I love these three.

Don't tell Max but Tim and I love when Max goes to bed and we get alone time with Fitz where we just snuggle him quietly without any two year-olds yelling, running around, or hitting their brother. Fitz is the sweetest baby I have ever met.