Archive for the ‘family’ Category
Aug
a day in the sun
I have stepped to a whole new low.
I am stealing a blog post…and not just linking to it, actually cut and copying it over to here.
You see, I helped my mom use my pictures for her post on Bear Lake and don’t have any time left to do a post myself! So, in the spirit of delegating (surely, delegating is what it is, not thievery??), I just copied her post from Weighing Matters.
Remember this is her version, not mine. The dance description is especially hers…trust me, you will see. I could have never typed those words with a straight face.
From the Grommer:
“Even with a ton of wind and not being able to use the new 12X12, I thought our little get together at Bear Lake was a great day. Scott started talking about one last hurrah while we were still up at Green River Lakes a couple of weeks ago. We tried to plan a date when most of us could get there, but we still missed Steev and Leonard because they were heading to set up hunting camp in the Ham’s Fork area near Kemmerer. Their tradition of hunting-almost every-weekend-for-two-months trumped our tradition of going to Bear Lake one of the last weekends in August for a sun/fun day.
“I loved playing with Annesley and Fisher. They are so dang delightful and full of innocence and laughter. They are ready to play catch, get twirled around with toes skipping over the water, or share a handful of grapes with Grommer. That’s me. Grommer, Bommer and Mommer all mixed up in one. I love, love, love that they include me in their play. Fisher obsessed about a frog he and Papa caught and Annes played with her purple spider. They both tossed balls to me which they then ran and got before I could get my hands on them. What can I say? They are so fast!
“Kelle’s belly and Gibbs got a lot of my attention, as well. I can’t seem to keep my hands off the two of them. I’m always rubbing Gibbs around and around on her cute little belly hoping that he’ll recognize me in about 6 more weeks when he comes to earth. He’s almost 35 weeks and has just a little more time to gain some weight, develop his lungs and get a nice strong heart to love me even more than he surely must already.
“Scott was his usual charming, hilarious, irreverent self, ever entertaining us and playing with Annes and Fisher. He teases mercilessly until we can hardly keep from wetting ourselves. He and his friend, Austin, fresh out of laser surgery, enjoyed the sun and waves even though swimming was out of the question for her. I’m not sure, but I think Scott had something in common with the full moon in one of the pics that Tracy took. Austin is quite the refined, wonderful, energetic, athletic, strong, wonderful [oops, said that twice!] woman we met at Green River Lakes and we’ve enjoyed having her at a couple of our get-togethers. We’re all hoping some of her refinement and good manners rub off.
“Logan and Caleb wore each other out playing football, tackle, first one to the beach, first one to the water, first one to eat a ton of cookies, first one to eat a sandy sandwich, first one to the car, first one to the pizza, etc., etc., etc. They seem to compete in everything they do. They are both great guys, if not exactly the most well-behaved.
“Keziah had a friend, Jessica, to play with all day. They were inseparable in and out of the water. They even got lost together at one point. Blythe hoped Andie would be there and when she wasn’t, read most of the day. She did go out into the water several times, though, and we all swam to the buoy a couple of times. She’s such a fun, beautiful, talented young lady. And a very good swimmer. After trying to swim to the second buoy, I dare say I was pooped and she just giggled at my attempt to get back to where I could touch the bottom. I thought my lungs would collapse! Tradition.
“For me, the highlight of the day was when after a long, sunny and fun day we decided at the last minute to go to Bear Lake Pizza and give it our best to consume Old Ephraim, a 30-inch pizza with three toppings. It was big enough to serve our whole group, and then some. I believe I heard someone say it was $55 for just the pizza [Gasp! I surely have never heard of such a thing! I'm just as sure my frugal father would turn over in his grave!] It took nearly an hour to cook and about that long to eat.
“I’m so glad we had this last day of f.u.n. together. Now we’re all back to work, back to routine, back to normal, and already looking forward to next summer.
“PS: The three of us choreographed a synchronized swimming routine that was both elegant and creative. I, of course, made up most of the steps, drawing from my ginormous reserve of hot moves. It was very precise as we counted all our steps to eight counts. The dance itself included smart twirls, can-can kicks, a forward dolphin dive, a pyramid, and a few line dancing moves. Many people on the beach watched open-mouthed as we practiced and then performed this once-in-a-life-time event. I can still hear the cheers as we bowed, and then bowed again to all of them.”
Aug
grl top twenty
My favorite place in the whole world.
Aug
fisher’s prayer
Today was our first day home and after working hard unpacking and doing laundry, we gathered for family prayer.
This was Fisher’s prayer tonight.
Thank you for our family.
Thank you that we could go to Green River Lakes.
Thank you that we can read together.
Thank you that we can help.
Thank you that we can love one another.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Precious, isn’t he?
Yes, motherhood is all worth it. I know it is exactly what I am supposed to be spending my days doing.
Mar
passover
We celebrated Passover on Monday night and it was glorious! I love, love, love Passover. I love sharing it with others and creating a magical experience for my family and guests. We are in our fifth year of celebrating Passover and it keeps getting better and better.
It is a lot of work. More work than I think I can pull off each year, but it is totally, 100% worth it. I love the sense of mission it gives our family. I love being connected to millions of people who are doing the same thing at the same time all over the world. I love teaching my children about the House of Israel. I love the beauty of a Passover Seder. I love hearing my husband’s voice as he teaches us the story of the Exodus. I love lighting the Sabbath candles. I love reading books to my children about how other families celebrate Passover. I love how celebrating Passover is a perfect transition into spring, into Easter, and into the Savior’s real birthday.
We have had many people ask us why we celebrate Passover. The short answer is Exodus 12:17 where God says:
And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this self-same day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
Leviticus 23, Number 9, Deuteronomy 16, 2 Kings 23:21, and many more scriptural references command us to keep the Passover.
But really, the reason we celebrate Passover is deeper than that. More personal.
I have always felt a strong connection to Israel, to the Old Testament, to Jerusalem, to all things Jewish, to the twelve tribes. As a youth I would devour books involving Jewish characters, Old Testament maps, and Sunday School lessons about the ancient symbolism. I planned to go to Jerusalem and live my life out there, studying the Torah, speaking Hebrew, and walking where Jesus walked.
That is not the path God called me to. Instead, he asked me to be a wife and mother. He asked me to homeschool our children. He gave me a different life. A much different life, but one that I love. One that I need. One that teaches me more about love, sacrifice, and faith than a life studying the scriptures would have because I am immersed in the trenches of giving. Giving to those I have grown, birthed and love more than my own life. Of putting someone else’s needs before my own. He knew my selfishness and self-righteousness would not be cured by living in Jerusalem studying His words.
So I am here.
However, I am trying to create a family culture of love for Christ. Of understanding of symbolism. Of thirst for the ancient truths that testify of the Savior. Of devotion to their Redeemer that is so strong it will last their whole lives through and will nourish them when they are in the difficult places of their lives.
Passover is one of my tools for doing that. The three hour meal is full of beauty that opens the heart, symbolism that opens the mind, and truth that fills the soul with knowledge.
Recently I have been reading The Hidden Christ by James Ferrell. In his chapter on Passover, he says:
In light of their enslavement, the Israelites had a real problem: They were kept from the covenant land that had been promised to their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Somehow, in order to fulfill prophecy, Israel had to be taken out of Egypt. But, as we have discussed in earlier chapters, the covenants made to Abraham, and renewed through Isaac and Jacob were spiritual as well as temporal. Or, more precisely, the temporal aspects of those covenants were types and shadows of the greater spiritual blessings. The biggest problem for the Israelites was not that they were stuck in Egypt. The biggest problem was that Egypt had become stuck in them. In order to fulfill prophecy, Egypt – including the allure of Egypt – had to be taken out of Israel. Unless Israel could be reoriented to Christ, the blessings pronounced upon Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be for naught.
Our situation is analogous. We too are separated from our promised land – that is, we are separated from God and are not of ourselves worthy to enter into his presence. That is our problem. Be we have a bigger problem: We have come to enjoy the the things that will keep us separated from God. As with the Israelites, our hearts are not fully turned to the Savior.
…and like ancient Israel, latter-day Israel is in danger of becoming intoxicated by the power of the modern culture – the gods, for example, of entertainment, technology, and commerce. If the gods of our culture have captivated us to any degree, then we too, like the ancient Israelites, are in bondage in Egypt.
Given the similitudes, the Israelite story is our story, and their predicament is our predicament. This means that their exodus must be our exodus as well, and the key to their deliverance is likely to be the way to our own.
The heart and soul of the Exodus story – and our story – is foound in Exodus 6:6-8: “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians, and I will rid you of out of their bondage, and Iwill redeem you with a streched out arm, and with great judgments.” And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God…And I will bring you in unto the [promised] land…I am the Lord.
Those promises reflect both a physical and spiritual deliverance. Significantly, each promise begins with the words “I will.” If we are to be brought out from under our burdens, or freed from bondage, or redeemed, or accounted children of God, or awarded a place in the eternities, it will be because Christ has affirmatively reached out to us with “a stretched out arm.” Without Him there is no promise, for He is the promise.
Thought provoking, isn’t it? I am so loving this book! If you want help unearthing the mysteries and majesty of the Old Testament, go get this book today!
It is my great hope that through our annual Passover Seder my children will learn the path of freedom both temporally and spiritually is through Christ, that they can absolutely count on Him to do His part and that it is up to them to do theirs, and that they are of the House of Israel, not just in words, but that they identify with it on a very personal level.
This is why we celebrate Passover.
This year we had the Lamoreaux family, our Bishop and his dear wife, and the Kessinger family join us. We are always blessed with wonderful guests who help make the night a success.
The table with some pillows already placed (yes, we sit on the floor and recline – it represents freedom from bondage because slaves were required to eat standing up).
A close-up of the name tags Keziah made for everyone:
If you would like to create a Passover experience for your family, I would love to help you. It is so worth it!
Mar
the past eight days
Whoa Nellie, it has been a busy time and I have had not a moment to get on here and post.
Let’s see if I can even remember clear back to last week…
1. I had a horrible sore throat last Monday-Thursday. It was better enough to do gym on Friday (only out of my feelings of duty – I would have much rather been in bed), but I had to whisper a lot. Grapefruit seed extract in pulpy orange juice, Immupower essential oil, cough drops, and lots of time sleeping are what got me through.
2. Keziah was asked to be in a music video on Thursday and Friday. It was a fabulous (and COLD!) experience. She got to see a film crew up close and see how long it takes to shoot a five second scene. She was paid $50 for her work and has been treasuring that green bill ever since. The video will be available on ScatterTunes on Monday, so I will post the link for you then.
3. Thursday we (well, I just had to get her there, didn’t have to lead the discussion or anything – couldn’t have anyway, I didn’t have a voice!) had Blythe’s colloquium on Bendigo Shafter (what a great book!), the music video, packing for our trip to the TJED Forum in SLC, and the Relief Society Birthday dinner. I didn’t make it to the dinner, though I tried mighty hard.
4. Oh yeah, back to Wednesday…when I drove Blythe to Shakespeare, my suburban did not sound or feel right. I was leaking lots of antifreeze and was fairly concerned that something was wrong. I called a mechanic we know and he came over to our house to look at it. He said there was oil on in the coolant and the radiator must have been damaged by the GHO. He said I absolutely must not drive it or I could lose my whole engine. Well…knowing we needed to leave for our annual trip to SLC in two short days I asked him to fix it right then and there. We bought a new radiator and all the fluids we needed to be replace and he got to work (he also had me get a zip tie to clamp the distributor down a little more securely and so far it is holding fabulously!). Several hours later we had a new radiator in place and found the crack in the old one. The suburban still doesn’t sound quite right, but we don’t know what else is wrong. It got us to SLC and back, but we know it still needs some more work. It has carried us far and wide for 210,000 miles and we pray it keeps going for quite a few more.
5. Friday morning we had gym and the goal was to have everything ready to go before gym so we wouldn’t have to come back home. We Richard loaded the cooler of food, bags of clothes, and most of the rest of the piles of stuff a family of six needs for two days away from home (seriously, why does it take this much stuff to be away from home?????) When we went out for the final loading on Friday morning, I noticed Keziah’s bike was not on top of the suburban. I ran and grabbed it and some tie downs and set to work. The roof was covered in ice and I was mildly afraid of slipping off the top and breaking my arm (or worse!). With Chet’s (our friend and father of my gymnastics assistant) help, the bike was secured and we were ready to go…except for the stuff I still needed to buy at Winco.
6. I somehow made it through five gymnastics classes and then picked up Fisher and Annes and then ran to Winco and then picked up Richard and then got gas and then stopped at Wal-mart for more coolant and THEN we were really on our way.
7. We finished up Les Miserables on the way down. Fabulous. Truly. You should listen to the Focus on the Family production. It is so well done. While you are getting that one, get all of their dramatizations…Chronicles of Narnia (unabridged version so you can get every word of Lewis’ masterpiece), Ben-Hur, Silas Marner, The Christmas Carol, Billy Budd, The Hiding Place, Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, and Little Women. They may have more, but those are the ones we have and love. We have listened to them over and over and lent them out and everyone enjoys them.
8. We found our $40 Priceline hotel deal and after dragging all the before mentioned stuff up three flights of stairs, we made dinner, cleaned up, and fell into bed, exhausted and ready for a deep and restful sleep.
9. The deep, restful sleep? Well, it didn’t happen.
10. We were up and going early in the morning so we could leave by 7 a.m. for the TJED Forum. It was a wonderful day of inspiring classes, food for the soul, reacquainting with friends from all over the country and Canada, and so much laughter in Heather Burton’s class I almost peed my pants.
11. The Family Ball is my girls’ favorite night of the year. We finished up our classes, hurried back to our hotel, got everyone looking beautiful, and then back to the Hilton we went to dance the night away. Richard was so tired by this point (he had taken care of me all week when I was sick and hadn’t slept well at all at the hotel) that he just wanted to sit on the sidelines and watch, so I sat by him and watched the dancing. Fisher, of course, doesn’t dance – he is much to shy for that – but he did get up his courage to ask his mama to dance. It was adorable because he was so formal about the whole thing. He even escorted me back to my seat afterwords. Keziah enjoyed doing the Virginia Reel, working on her swing skills, and running around with her friends. Blythe looked simply lovely and enjoyed her time with her friends, but was quite disappointed in the boys lack of asking girls to dance. She normally is asked over and over, but this year, she was only asked once. She was pretty sad about the whole deal. Annesley demanded that her friend, Preston, dance with her and it was so stinkin’ cute. The rest of the time she ran around with her friend, Paige, and they twirled, donkey kicked, skipped, and galloped all over the ballroom.
12. Sunday morning we slept in too late and had to hurry to get all packed up and out the door in time to attend our favorite church building in SLC. It is the old 2nd Ward building and has a beautiful stained glass window of the First Vision in it. We love attending the 14th ward and this year we were able to do so. This ward has people from all over world in it and is a melting pot of different cultures, personalities, needs, knowledge, and accents (my favorite part is the accents!) We had great lessons on Joseph of Egypt by a well-spoken, orderly, and spiritual man and then the Fall of Adam and Eve by a woman from Puerto Rico who handled the large group of sisters well and led a wonderful discussion on the topic with grace. This ward welcomed us right in and we had a wonderful time. They even created a Young Women’s class for Blythe and another girl who was visiting from Canada since they have no young women who attend the ward.
13. Grandma Dorothy stayed with us the whole time and took care of Keziah, Fisher, and Annesley. Let me just say she is the best grandma ever. She calls her grandchildren every day and talks to them, sings songs to them, and helps them get through diaper changes, stressful moments, and long car rides. She loves taking them out for ice cream, movies, and trips to the park…and that is just what she did all day on Saturday.
14. Did I mention yet that Keziah wanted to do a triathlon on Saturday? Yes, she did. And her amazing grandma said she would take her. So, they loaded up early and drove to American Fork for the Ice Breaker Triathlon. We are not professional triathloners, but Keziah wanted to do it, so we let her. According to my mother, everyone else there had two parents and several other people helping each child. Keziah had her grandma and two little siblings. Everyone else had wetsuits for the swim, and warm clothes for the bike ride and run. Keziah wore her swim suit and then pulled her swim shorts and rash guard shirt over top for the bike ride and run. Other athletes had expensive bikes, Keziah had her well-used one that is missing 60% of the seat and looks like it might belong at the dump. Spectators had on coats, hats, and gloves. Fisher and Annes had nothing to keep them warm. It was 29 degrees. Yeah, below freezing. Keziah was blue, frozen, and numb by the time she finished her 3.1 mile bike ride. Grandma told her she had done enough and wasn’t dressed properly and she could stop without doing the run. Keziah determined to finish and she ran one mile, in the cold, with shorts on, with frozen hair, and she ran it fast. What a girl!
Thanks Grandma for helping her get to and through this race. She loved it and is so proud of herself. I know it was a ton of work, especially with the two little ones…YOU ARE AMAZING!
15. After church on Sunday, we went to the SLC cemetery to find the grave of Gordon B. Hinckley. My mom has been wanting to take the children for awhile now and it was the perfect day to do it – no wind, not too cold, not too hot, and a few extra hours of time. My children had a love affair with this man. We all absolutely adored him and miss him greatly. Blythe sobbed for hours when Sister Hinckley died and again when President Hinckley passed away in January 2008. We went and paid our respects at their graves, touched their beautiful headstones, cried a little more, and then went searching for other headstones. We found President McKay’s, President Taylor’s, President Grant’s, the Hyrum Smith family plot, the Moyle family, and so many others that we had no idea who they were and loved making up stories of their lives. I saw a really neat headstone that listed the couple’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren – I think that is how I want my headstone – full of family. We had a picnic lunch from the cooler and then started on our way home. Ben-Hur provided the entertainment for the drive home…always a thriller!
16. Now it is Wednesday morning. H.O.P.E. is on Saturday. Passover is in five days. I have much to do to get ready for both, so I may not be back on here till next week.
Mar
fiddler and the gho
Our long awaited trip to SLC was so much fun! Fiddler on the Roof at The Hale Centre Theatre was absolutely amazing!!! If you go, go to the M-W-F cast…Tevye was perfect! But more on that in a minute, I have to tell you how our trip started…
We left at 4:29 a.m – a record for us! We had to be in SLC at my dentist’s office by 8:00 for the final crown fitting…so we had to be up and going mighty early. When I got up at 3:00, Keziah and Arianna were just getting out of the shower and Blythe and Madi were wide awake chatting away! Unheard of! Blythe up at three in the morning?????? How is it even possible? That girl sleeps hard and takes a lllllloooonnnnngggggg time to wake up…they all must have been pretty excited!!
After about 30 minutes on the road I saw a huge creature swooping down on us. I was bracing myself to be picked off the road and felt just like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings as the ringwraiths flew over top of him searching for the ring. All of a sudden a loud THUMP jolted the suburban and I was amazed we were still on the road. I couldn’t see anything, so I thought whatever it was must have glanced off of us…but then I saw feathers sticking up over the front of hood.
I couldn’t reconcile the huge swooping thing, the loud thud and the jolt with the feathers on the hood. They didn’t seem that big to me, so I thought a little bird, or just some of the wing of a bird got stuck on my bug shield. I could not yet picture what the reality was.
I called Richard to tell him what happened and he immediately said, “You hit an owl. You need to stop right now and investigate.” I was NOT thrilled about this information. I started saying “NO, NO! I cannot do this, don’t ask me to do this, I will throw up, I cannot do it, NO, NO, NOOOOOOOO!” He tried to calm me down with logic, saying “Tracy, you have an owl on the front, it could have punctured the radiator, you need to stop right now and find out. If it did damage the radiator, you will run out of coolant and overheat your engine and you will be stuck on the road. I can’t come and get you because I have no car. Please stop and see what happened. More “NO, NO, NO! I cannot do it!”
Then a new thought, “I will get the girls to do it!” When I told the girls my new plan, they all started screaming, “NO, NO, NO! It’s disgusting!”
Then Richard says “Tracy, it is a felony to kill an owl, you can’t just drive to SLC with an owl on the front of your vehicle, you will be pulled over and fined.”
Hmmmm…hard decision.
Now, maybe it wouldn’t be too hard for many of you. But, me? I have a very strong gag reflex and once I start throwing up I don’t stop. I knew if I got out and dealt with the creature that I would start that whole process and we wouldn’t make it to SLC in time for my dentist appointment because I would have to keep stopping to throw up. I would get vomit all over my clothes. I would be sick all day and probably not even be able to go to the play.
I pleaded with the girls to get out and solve the problem, but they were all vehemently opposed. They flat out refused!
I kept driving, kept talking to Richard, and kept thinking of a solution, ANY solution.
I finally decided to call Tina and beg her to save me. I woke her up at 5:15 and started to explain the situation. This angel of a woman interrupted me and said “Come right up, we’ll take care of it.”
When we got there, Rob had his headlamp, gloves, and garbage sack ready. They both wrinkled up their faces in disgust at the sight of it, but got right to work and pulled the giant thing off of there. The body was two feet tall and the wing span was between four and five feet…and yes, there were two lovely horns. (All of this was seen by Blythe who got out to watch the removal process. I, of course, did not exit my vehicle until it was all cleaned up.)
The radiator was leaking, but we determined it was from not getting any airflow because the Great Horned Owl GHO was covering the front of the vehicle.
We hurried on our way after hugs and much gratitude to our heroes and we made it to the dentist just 10 minutes late…pretty good after our crazy adventure!
After the crown placement, we went window shopping over in Sugarhouse. The big girls had lots of fun trying loads of shoes on at Nordstrom Rack, the little girls picked out matching $12 outfits at Old Navy and we all had fun laughing and trying things on together.
Then, it was time for Fiddler. Madi and Anna had never been to the Hale Centre Theatre, so Blythe and Keziah took them all over showing them the wonders of the place. I have never seen four girls so excited to see a play. Their eyes were shining with excitement and their smiles were full of joy.
When Tevye came out for the opening scene, I knew it was going to be a fabulous play. I had been nervous that Tevye wouldn’t be just right and it would ruin the whole thing for me, but he was FABULOUS! He seemed like he was born for this role.
Madi and Anna were enthralled with the moving stage and everyone was completely engrossed in the play. Golde was a wonderful overbearing wife and mother, the matchmaker had the perfect accent, the set was splendid, and the whole cast put on a treat of a show. If there is any way, any way at all, go to it, it is totally worth it. I think you will love it!
Keziah was certain that Chava was being played by the same actress that played “Little Red” in Into the Woods and she was right! It is always fun to see our favorite actors and actresses in other plays.
After the play, we went to The Old Spaghetti Factory for some yummy spinach tortellini, spaghetti with mizithra cheese, pesto dressing, and spumoni ice cream. The waiters sang “Happy Birthday” to Anna, surprising the daylights out of her. We talked all about the play, our favorite parts, who we would want to be, and our thoughts on matchmaking. SO FUN!
The girls all wanted to go to Bliss to try on dresses, so we got on the freeway and made our way for Ogden. They loved looking at the gowns and tried on their favorites. Lovely princesses, all of them!
After getting some gas, we headed for home. We snacked on bagels, triscuits, bananas, and Snickers bars and listened to Les Miserables from Focus on the Family.
What a fabulous day – all the girls said it was one of the best days of their lives.
I know it is a day I will always treasure…sometimes a girls day is just what is needed to fill the soul and remind us that life IS good.
Mar
thankful thursdays 3/11
* Today we had the privilege of taking 170 books to F.A.I.T.H. – what a remarkable experience! I started the day off still agitated, impatient, and rather snarly, but delivering the books changed all that. I am filled with gratitude for the families that participated, the sponsors that gave generously, and the children that came today with big smiles on their faces to fill a bookshelf. I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in the world. I am grateful for fellow homeschoolers that came together to benefit our community and to change lives. I know the children at F.A.I.T.H. are going to LOVE these books. I can’t wait to do this again next year!
The empty bookshelf:
Posters about homelessness in America:
Putting labels on the books:
All filled up!
Some of the amazing home schooling children who donated books to F.A.I.T.H.:
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* Fisher Eli is an adorable boy. Today he said “I wonder if I will do colloquia when I get big?” I asked, “Do you want to?” He excitedly said “YES! When I am as big as Keziah! Do you think I can?” I love homeschooling and I love that we are to the point of seeing results. Having my younger children look forward to learning experiences that they have seen their older siblings and parents participate in is so fun!
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* I have finally completed Book One of my cello program! Woo-hoo! I am starting Book Two this week and hope to get through this book much faster!
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* My sweetie turned 40 and our children made him some presents from their hearts.
Fisher’s giraffe for his papa:
Fisher’s whale for his papa:
Keziah’s card for her papa:
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* I get to take Blythe and Keziah to Fiddler on the Roof on Saturday. It was their Christmas present from Richard and I and they have had to wait a while to get it fulfilled. We are all super excited to see this favorite play in person!
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* Razor blades and metal spoons are simply amazing cleaning tools. The drink holders in the suburban had melted crayons, stuck-on gunk, old food decaying into solid rock, and more flower petals than I care to think about…after soaking in Purification essential oil and scrubbing with these magical tools, all the grime is GONE!
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Time to go read Jerry Muskrat to Fisher…it is his new favorite book.
Mar
exhausted
Whew! It is Sunday and I am here typing, so that means I have survived the past week…a VERY full week with VERY little sleep.
Here is what has happened and been accomplished in the past week.
1. Richard’s dad was made a Bishop of his ward and we spent last Sunday with family.
2. Monday morning, Keziah was up by 5 a.m. and we were on the road to Utah by 6:00. I am NOT a morning person, so this was a major accomplishment.
3. We drove to Orem, picked up 54 gallons of olive oil and packed them tightly into our little rental car.
4. We drove to my dentist appointment in SLC and had my crown mold made – a three hour process.
5. We got right onto I-15 and rushed up to Ogden to get there before Kitchen Kneads closed at 5:00. I had to pick up my favorite mix, Bruce’s Cereal, so that my morning meals could be full of its yumminess again. We had been out for about 3 months!
6. I overcame the urge to run out of Kitchen Kneads without buying anything when one of the workers was screaming at her nephew and threatening to whip him.
7. We went to Farr’s Ice Cream and got two double-scoop waffle cones to keep us awake on the three hour drive home.
8. We made it home around 10:30…exhausted and out of gas.
9. Tuesday morning I slept in till seminary at 8:30.
10. I tried to spend lots of time reading and snuggling with my children…and the dishes…and the laundry…and the sweeping and mopping. Somehow it had all fallen completely apart when I was gone on Monday.
11. The olive oil needed to be given to people as they came and picked it up.
12. The book order came…thirteen boxes and hundreds of books needed to be inventoried, sorted, labeled, bagged, and boxed back up…a 9 hour process.
13. The whole house needed to be cleaned for colloquia on Thursday. Only the kitchen, family room, and bathrooms got clean. The rest will have to get done this week.
14. I went visiting teaching for three hours.
15. I drove children home from Keziah’s club.
16. We had ten to fifteen people here for a discussion of Dicken’s Great Expectations and Blythe and Keziah went to the play The Secret Garden.
17. Everyone had to be packed and ready to go away for Friday night.
18. I had to take the rest of the olive oil and books to gymnastics on Friday morning.
19. I taught five gymnastics classes.
20. The girls had violin lessons and I cleaned the fridge and bathroom of our teacher’s home…have I mentioned how blessed we are to be able to trade cleaning for lessons?
21. I drove to Aunt Holly’s house and dropped all of my children off to have a night with their cousins.
22. I drove to Kat’s and picked up food for Friday night and Saturday morning.
23. I got gas – $100 worth.
24. I went and picked up Richard from the car rental place where he was returning the car he has been driving since the accident, blindfolded him, and proceeded to kidnap him. I whisked him away to a bed and breakfast where we spent our first night sans children since Blythe was born thirteen years ago. I fed him delicious food, gave him a massage, and curled up with him while watching Fireproof. We had our first good night of sleep in days weeks years. It was so incredibly relaxing…so fun to be with this man that I love and to pamper him for his 40th birthday.
25. We went to one of my favorite used book stores and got the cousin’s and our children a few books as a thank you present for letting us get away for a night.
26. We came home (Fisher threw up on the way home), took Blythe to Abbott’s to get some yarn, took her to crocheting lessons, Richard worked on his little project car to get it running well enough that he can drive it to work tomorrow, and I worked on straightening up.
27. At 5:23 I remembered we had a ton of library books that had been due the day before, but had not been checked in due to the 40th birthday kidnapping. Keziah and I gathered them up and took off for Idaho Falls to make it there before the 6:00 closing.
28. Then we did some grocery shopping and other errands and made it home after 9:00…completely ready for bed.
29. Today we had church where I taught my little five-year-olds all about prayer.
30. Tonight Richard’s sister threw him a 40th birthday party and now it is 10:30 and we are just getting home.
Of course, there were a myriad of other things, tons of phone calls, seminary, Shakespeare, meals, diapers, violin practicing, stories (we started a new read aloud – Around the World in 80 Days) friends, etc…but this is the gist of the week.
This trend cannot continue, so today tomorrow is the day to evaluate and make a new plan for how I can do less, be better, and love more.
Mar
addendum
I have been thinking about this whole missing my grandmother thing and I have some thoughts…
I miss her a lot. This is true, but what does it mean?
At my grandma’s funeral, I was crying and an uncle decided to take that opportunity to scold me for not believing in the plan of salvation, for not having enough faith, for not knowing that my grandma was in a better, happier place. I have thought about his words quite a bit since then and have decided he was wrong.
Let’s pretend my best friend is given a wonderful opportunity to meet amazing people, to study and learn from the great masters in her field, to be free from pain, and to see her long-lost husband again. Let’s pretend she has to travel across the world to a place I cannot go and there is no technology in place for us to communicate by letters, emails, or phone calls. Do I want her to go? Of course I do. Would I ask her to stay here with me? No, I would be thrilled for her to take advantage of this great blessing. I would be happy for her…but I would still miss her. I would still long to hear her voice, read her letters, and feel her arms around me. I would still long to pray with her. I would still want to play games with her and laugh with her and make her her favorite foods just to see her smile spread across her face and her eyes light up with joy.
Well, that is just what happened.
I do know she is happy. I do know she is out of pain. I do know she is with her loved ones…but I still miss her!
Feb
missing her some more
I am finally attempting to clean the craft/sewing/completely overflowing with junk room. It has been way too overwhelming to me to even attempt to deal with it for a LONG time. I started today and I am going to do my best to keep working at it till it is all in order…not an easy task for me…I flit around as I clean, rarely staying with one project, much less one room, for more than a few minutes at a time. I am throwing out gobs of stuff and am loading up a DI box full of things I no longer have room for in my life.
Well, in this room, in a topsy-turvy box, buried under fabric, dress-ups, paper, game pieces, puzzle pieces, receipts, long-lost socks, and who knows what else, I found a treasure tonight.
I found my old home phone/answering machine…and guess what was on it! Messages that have been saved for years. Messages from my grandmother. Tonight I got to hear her voice! She left me two messages – one about a missing library book that we had left at her home and one about going to visit her for the week.
I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to hear her voice and it sounded just like her. Just like she was right next to me. All her little pauses and inflections were captured perfectly. All her adorable personality. All her love.
I miss her more than I can even begin to explain.
This great woman, this wonderful matriarch, this bastion of Christian love, service, compassion, dedication, and purity, loved me. I know she did. I know she does.
But it is not enough.
I want her with me forever. I want her in my home. I want her watching my children grow. I want her telling them stories, playing games, and laughing with us.
I want to hear her sing “As Sisters In Zion” and “I Believe in Christ” one a million more times.
I want her here with me.