Motherhood & The Book of Mormon........ Go Hand & Hand!

I have always been a person who loved to read, but as I've gotten older and busier I seem to have less and less time for it :( That is... until the recent 5-Stake Women's Conference where Sister Beck and Sister Cook came to speak to all the sisters ages 12 and up.

It was after that conference that I had a renewed and refreshed desire to read the Book of Mormon for "just" 5 minutes a day...shortly after the "Book of Mormon Journal" Blog was born (or what I lovingly refer to as the B.O.M. Journal. Any and all who would like to follow it and add any comments, insights or testimonies of your own are more than welcome!!! Many of you could teach me far more than I could learn on my own, with your own testimonies and spiritual wisdom :)

http://bommomma.blogspot.com/

Carrie's Book of Mormon Journal

Full Fledge Thumb-Sucker!

It is now definite...somebody LOVES her thumb! !! So I thought that Chandani was a straight-up Paci baby, but WHOA WAS I WRONG! LOL :) Most of the time now she'll sucks on her paci for a little bit, pull it out, examine it and then throw it...annnnnnnnnndddddd THUMB! She might start out with her whole hand in her mouth, but eventually ends up with her new little friend, Thumb :)

Nap...what nap?

Oh the joys and trials of motherhood! Chandani has recently decided to boycott her naps :( She used to nap three times a day anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and a half each nap. However, now I'm lucky if we get two naps in and they're either super short naps in the crib or super long ones in the swing. My dad always says...."the only constant thing about babies is change." Boy is he right ! Any advice or mommy stories are always appreciated :)

Oh, the WONDERS of Singing Time

Oh, how Chandani LOVES Music :) She can be fussing in the car and all I have to do is start singing one of her favorite songs and she perks right up and is so happy again. Music truly is a wonder, especially in the lives of children :)

Here's a video of one of our "Sing Times" together when she was around 2 & 1/2 months...

Saturday Morning Cartoons

As soon as Chandani learned to focus her eyes she has been IN LOVE with the tv! LOL! Which is especially ironic since I promised myself that I'd never be one of those moms that plopped my kid down in front of the tv for hours...which I still don't and never will...but I'll be darned if she isn't drawn to it anyway :)

I let her watch a little Playhouse Disney in the morning before her first nap while she plays in her Exersaucer and then a little Baby Einstein during the afternoon before her next nap, but I really try to limit it as much as possible with things like Exercise Time, Singing Time and Story Time (which she LOVES to read books in the rocking chair "almost" as much as tv...sheeessh!)

This was her at 11 weeks (2 months, 2 weeks & 4 days) watching her first Saturday Morning Cartoons :)

Chandani's (Bollywood Star) First Movie :)

Ok, so this video was shot 7 weeks ago...but Mommy is a little slower with Technology than Daddy is... ENJOY!

Oh, Green Cove...How I LOVE you!

Ok, so I was reading one of my cousin's blogs about how much she loves her town...and I just had to represent for Green Cove! (LOL) I'll be the first to admit, it is pretty darn small, but from the first time Ravi and I drove through it we knew this would be the place we'd start our family.

You could probably walk from one end of it to the other in the time it would take you to walk the Orange Park Mall :) I absolutely LOVE being right off the River and the beautiful sky at sunrise and sunset over by Black Creek...


It is no AMC 24 Theatre, but the town theatre is just the cutest thing I have ever seen!!! It was originally an Opera House, but was converted to a Movie Theatre in 1936. It only has two theatres as the original balcony was converted to another screen in the '90s, but it is quite the place to be on a Friday or Saturday night!

Another cool fact is that the community swimming pool is actually fed by a natural spring!!! The history of the spring is quite interesting... "The rich history of Green Cove Springs is tied to the natural springs and the St. Johns River...the area was first settled in the mid-1800s and was called White Sulfur Springs. After that and around 1850, Green Cove became a prime tourist attraction, famous for the warm, therapeutic springs. The sulfur springs, or the “boil” as it was called brought wealthy visitors down the St. Johns River by steamboat to vacation at the grand hotels like the Clarendon and Qui-Si-Sana. Visitors of the period included Henry Flagler and his new bride, the Astors and Vanderbilts. The visitors drank from the spring believing in its medicinal values. It is said one local physician prescribed the spring water for various chronic ailments of the liver and kidneys. There are those today that still have confidence in the therapeutic value of the springs and can be seen daily drawing water from the spring for consumption." I have yet to take a dip yet, but for $1 you can swim all day long :)

However, my favorite place in Green Cove is the children's park!!! We've taken my sister's kids there since they were little and now it's finally our turn to take Chandani there to experience it's beauty and amusement. It's right off the River so every now and again you get a cool, refreshing breeze as you play. There's a beautiful gazebo, bridge and many, MANY absolutely gorgeous old trees lending lots of shade. I might be a little bias, but I'd have to say that in my opinion..."Green Cove Springs is where it's at!" (Sorry Kim...LOL!)