Rainy Halloween

 

Boo To You

Last Friday was Bryan's annual Halloween extravaganza, the Boo Bash. We picked the kids up early from school and changed once we arrived. We took Athena, Ariel, the Men in Black...

...and a dragon.

The  boys were impressed with how many people knew who they were.

Topher's favorite room of the event had black lights, face paint, and the song Baby Shark playing. He ignored the candy and danced.

We visited Whoville. And the boys were very dedicated to staying in character through all the pictures.

Realism

You guys, I need to change my image.

When asked how I'm doing, I try hard to always give an honest answer. I may not list everything I'm feeling because I generally have several thoughts and emotions happening at once and that would be overwhelming for the person asking. Instead, I choose one item, usually the easiest answer is "tired."

Apparently I say this so often that when Phoebe, in a fit of tween artistic angst, drew my picture last week, she used it as her inspiration. When I asked about the picture she said, "I tried to draw you angry, but it came out tired."

Great.

And for the last week I've repeatedly thought about how my children will not remember me as a mom who cooked great food or a mom who read to them or a mom who sang with them and let them wear costumes to the store. Nope, they'll remember that I was tired. And that I said "no" a lot. That is not what I was going for.

Well, what Phoebe wrote on my shirt in the picture is true, I do already need a nap tomorrow.

Heartache and Hope

We had a rough week at our house. Aside from the illness, there was a lot of contention, lots of raised voices, lots of stubborn pride. By Sunday night I felt completely drained. Then I was reminded that there are several people I love that are going through really awful, hard things. And my sorrow and pain for my own little family was swallowed by my concern and heartache for those around me.

With those loved ones on my mind, I stumbled across a quote from Jeffrey R. Holland. I have loved this quote for a long time, but it takes on new meaning during this difficult time.

Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven. But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come. -Jeffrey R. Holland

If you're reading this and thinking, "She's writing about me, she knows what we're going through," you're probably right. But you're not the only person that I'm thinking of. There are several, some who read this blog, some who don't. However, if you feel that this message is for you, then it is.

I'll add my own words. Keep moving forward. Surround yourselves with love and support and faith. Remember that being kind, no matter how impossible it seems, is always the right choice. Build your testimony (to quote one of my favorite talks from the latest General Conference) "everyday, everyday, everyday." Heavenly Father loves you, Jesus Christ loves you, and I love you too.

Late Night Creating, Halloween Edition

Thankfully We Have a Big Couch

This is what my house looked like on Tuesday. 

Sophie had a little stomach bug last week (including throwing up into a bowl in the van and then two days later throwing up in the parking lot of our hotel), but now has a cold and a big cough. Phoebe came home from school early because of an upset stomach. Peter missed two days of school because of stomach pains. Thankfully neither of them threw up. Cooper, on the other hand, had the distinction of throwing up into a trashcan near the self-checkout section of Walmart. He stayed home on Wednesday. Bryan came home on Tuesday, changed into pajamas, and didn't eat because his stomach was tender as well.

Topher has been okay so far. I was fine until this morning. But that's okay, all the kids went back to school today, so I slept when Topher did and tried hard not to move too much when he was awake. Hopefully it passes our family quickly.

Yes, I do think we get sick more often than most. No, I don't know why.

Getting Out Their Wiggles

Yesterday I said we played at the church after the baptism. What I didn't say was that my kids spent most of the time running around the gym and singing at the tops of their lungs. It was Saturday and most of the people were gone at that point, so I didn't stop them.

Also, that's when I pulled out my fancy camera.

Nathan's Baptism

We took a mini road trip this weekend to upstate New York to attend our nephew Nathan's baptism. We drove up on Friday evening and back home Saturday night. We were all pretty beat on Sunday, but we're happy we made the drive. We especially loved seeing our family!

Here we are, getting ready in the hotel on Saturday morning and taking advantage of the TV being on.

The baptism was great. Aunt Melinda spoke about baptism and the Holy Ghost and Uncle Jake performed the ordinance. Everyone in the family was invited to sing As I Have Loved You for a musical number. I loved it.

After the baptism we stayed at the church playing while a few people picked up sandwiches. This game of Uno was apparently so intense that afterward Cooper came over to me and said, "That game of Uno felt like gambling. I liked it." Yes, I am mildly concerned.

photo credit: Melinda

After lunch we all changed our clothes and visited a lovely state park a short drive away. Peter, Aunt Melinda, Uncle Ben, and Papa Ron hiked up the waterfall.

photo credit: Melinda

Meanwhile, the rest of us played on the playground.

The day that we drove up, before we left, I mentioned to a friend where we were going and she rapturized about how beautiful it would be this time of year. I realized she was right and took my fancy camera and vaguely coordinating clothes. Bryan's dad graciously took pictures of our family while some of us looked at the camera and smiled and some of us made funny faces.

Then we got a few candid shots.

photo credit: Bryan

When we were all sufficiently chilly, we went to Jake and Melinda's house and enjoyed eating dinner, visiting, and playing with cousins. We even got a picture with Nathan before we headed home.

Nathan, we're so happy you chose to be baptized and that we were able to be there!

Pictures or it Didn't Happen

We just finished a lovely afternoon and evening visit with Bryan's parents and his brother Ben. We chatted, the kids talked about school and Halloween, Sophie treated Ben like a human jungle gym and he was a really good sport about it. We ate a delicious dinner that Bryan did the lion's share of cooking for. We had a fun Family Home Evening that included acting out and guessing different emotions. We had bunches and bunches of hugs as the kids said goodbye while simultaneously pushing off bedtime.

And I didn't take any pictures at all.

But it still happened.

Thanks for visiting, guys!

One More Photogenic Kid

The final school picture for the 2019-2020 school year arrived in my inbox this morning. I think all four pictures turned out beautifully.

A Message, Just For You

Every six months, after watching General Conference, I ask friends and family what big themes they got from the talks. There are usually a handful that we all see in common. Then we marvel at how the speakers knew just what we needed.

This year I've asked (or been asked) the same question, what were the themes from Conference? We've all said different things this time. We agree when someone brings up a theme, "Oh yes, I can see that," but that's not what stood out to us.

This was surprising to me at first. Was I not paying enough attention? How could I have missed so many messages? I was sitting in Testimony meeting on Sunday, listening to the many different themes that the people in my Ward got from Conference when a reason occurred to me.

This year a major shift took place in our church, moving to a home-centered, church-supported curriculum model. I wrote about it the first day of 2019. Each family was invited to spend much more time together studying the scriptures, specifically the New Testament, and the Gospel. We've also been reminded on a nearly weekly basis that personal revelation is a vital component of this. We've focused on this aspect in our own family study.

I suspect one reason we each got such different messages this time is that we've been working so actively on attuning ourselves to personal revelation. Each week we've had to determine what our family needs to hear from the assigned chapters, what our classes need, what we personally need. We've practiced listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. We know that the more we practice something the more proficient we become. We have practiced listening, and then acting on those promptings.

I shared this observation as a piece of my testimony on Sunday. Since then I've had people tell me they had noticed the same things.

I am so thankful that we can hear the same talks and yet receive such wonderful and divinely individualized messages.

Semi-Formal

Lullaby

I need to pick the girls up from the bus stop at a certain time each afternoon. This time falls right when Topher used to nap. Because of this schedule, I've taught Topher to take one long nap each day rather than the two he used to take. On weekdays this works fine.

But Sundays are rough.

Why? Because that important long nap occupies the same chunk of time during our day as church. He used to get a short nap before we left, but not anymore. This means that by the time we head home after choir, he's exhausted and sometimes hysterical.

That was the case this past Sunday. He was SO TIRED. Neither Bryan nor I could calm him down as we drove. We tried speaking in soothing voices, playing classical music, reassuring him we would be home soon. None of it even slowed him down.

Then one of the kids started to sing I Am a Child of God. Soon all four big kids were singing to him. I joined in as well. We sang the entire way home.

And it worked. Topher calmed to the point that he dozed off just before we got to our house. A lovely peaceful feeling filled the van and the grins on their faces showed that all of the big kids knew they had done something special for their tired baby brother.

Mom, Will You Take a Selfie With Me?

Nope

I am not ready for Topher to learn how to climb out of his bed. My lack of preparation doesn't seem to be stopping him though.

He's just barely seventeen months old. For comparison, that's how old Cooper was when he started walking.

I snapped this blurry picture quickly before redirecting his attention to something other than climbing out of his bed.

Armor On

For Come Follow Me this week we're studying Ephesians. This included a Family Home Evening lesson on putting on the armor of God. We talked about the literal pieces of armor Paul lists in chapter 6 and their spiritual and modern-day counterparts. It went well. The best part was dressing our volunteer in her "armor."

The Natural Look

On Monday afternoon Sophie was dressed in her leotard and tights, ready for her ballet/jazz class. She was admiring her sleek ponytail and the following conversation took place.

Sophie: If we put some lipstick and makeup on me I'll look beautiful!

Me: You already look beautiful without makeup.

Sophie: (considering) Why don't you look beautiful without makeup?

Me: (pausing to think how I'm going to handle this, then with bravado) I DO look beautiful without makeup.

Curls

The girls both insisted on having curly hair for their school pictures this year. Phoebe's hair is long enough that it didn't get too short with curls. Sophie's isn't long and ended up so short that she cried when the curlers were first out. It relaxed a bit though, and the addition of the bow cheered her up significantly.

Behold, Phoebe's third grade picture:

And Sophie's kindergarten picture:

Spiritually Fed

This past weekend was General Conference, always one of my favorite times of the year. My brother Jordan and his wonderful wife Leah visited and watched with us, which made Saturday and Sunday even more fun. Highlights include Aunt Leah painting Phoebe's and Sophie's nails and Uncle Jordan giving an editing lesson to an attentive Phoebe while Peter and Cooper hung out nearby hoping for their own tutoring session.

The week before Conference we talked as a family about how to ask big questions and listen for answers from the Spirit. During the talks we would occasionally hear one of the kids say, "That answered my question!"

The four big kids did a good job overall, they love Conference and were excited. Topher is at an exceptionally busy stage, so Bryan and I traded off toddler-wrangling duties. That means neither of us had a restful or attentive General Conference experience, so I'm thankful for technology that allows me to spend the next six months reviewing the talks.

That said, there were some speakers that I loved:

Jeffrey R. Holland - The first talk answered one of my big personal questions.
Michelle Craig - She had greats suggestions for staying close to the Spirit and following revelation.
Dale G. Renlund - The stories of sacrifice and the importance of covenants really impressed me.
David A. Bednar - I loved his cheetah analogy.
Reyna I. Aburto - This was a powerful talk about mental illness, maybe the best talk of the weekend.
Bonnie H Cordon - I love the new Young Women theme!
President Russell M. Nelson - He loves the women of the church, I can feel it when he speaks. He clarified some very important and often misunderstood points about women and the Priesthood.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf - He talked about the Hobbit! Peter perked up as soon as the talk started and commented that he knew where the analogy was going and, later, that he agreed with it. Cooper cited this as his favorite talk. I loved it too.
President Russell M. Nelson - I loved his reminder to love our neighbors and care for them.
M. Russell Ballard - President Ballard's sweet stories about his wife touched my heart.
Peter M. Johnson - We are children of God and have divine potential.

The First Best Friend

At our elementary school the oldest kids, that's the third graders, partner with the kindergartners to help them read and work on projects. One benefit of the girls' teachers being married to each other is that their classes work together. That means Phoebe and Sophie get to be buddies at school. Sophie's sweet teacher sent me this picture of the girls, both fancy for picture day, enjoying their first official time as school buddies.

I'm so thankful they have each other.

Corny

I'm still serving as a cub scout leader and Saturday was our September pack meeting. We visited a corn maze. I took Cooper, Phoebe, and Sophie and left Topher and Peter at home with Bryan. I had no desire to push a stroller or chase a toddler through a muddy field/maze and Bryan was thankful for a reason to stay home.

I spent my time inside keeping track of children (my own and the scouts) and didn't take pictures. When we were done, the kids posed themselves and asked me to take their picture. Sure, I could handle that.

On the Stand

This past Sunday was our annual Primary Program, always a highlight and always exciting. The kids wrote their parts this year after being given a sentence limit and the prompt "What did I learn from Come Follow Me this year?" Here's what they chose to share.

Cooper: 

Something I learned in Come, Follow Me this year is to not judge others. In Romans chapter 14 verse 13 it says: “Let us not therefore judge one another any more...” This teaches us to not judge others, not to tell them that they’re wrong or are doing something wrong. Instead of judging, the Savior told us in John chapter 13 verse 34, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

Phoebe:

One thing I learned in Come Follow Me this year was that a lot of the books in the New Testament were epistles or letters. Romans is a collection of letters written by Paul to church members in Rome and delivered by Phebe, a good church member who took care of the people around her. Romans chapter 16 verses 1 and 2 say, “I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.”

Sophie:

My favorite thing was when we did the shipwreck; I was Paul, Phoebe was the captain. The best part was when I got to be in a big box and my Mom moved it back and forth a lot and then tipped it over onto the carpet to teach about Paul being shipwrecked and being protected as a missionary.

The kids all did a great job singing and delivering their lines. Phoebe sang a short transition between two songs with a handful of other girls. Cooper has a natural gift for engaging inflection and tone and he used it well for his final Primary Program. And Miss Sophie definitely drew out the most snickers and giggles when she told the ward that I had knocked her around in a box and then dumped her onto the carpet.

And I sat in the congregation grinning at my kids and asking Topher to point out each of them on the stand over and over since he hadn't gotten a nap before church and really needed one at that point. Bryan and Peter especially loved Sophie's part.

I asked Cooper if he was sad at all that this was his last Primary Program. His answer? "Nope." Well, I guess he's ready to move on.

Out of Commission

Sophie complained of an earache all weekend, so I told her I would make a doctor's appointment for her for after school on Monday.  During school I got a call from the nurse saying that Sophie had been in three times, each visit with a different malady, but she wasn't running a fever and hadn't thrown up. We agreed that she was well enough to go back to class, especially since she was going to the doctor after school.

About an hour later I got a call from her teacher. Sophie had fallen asleep in the classroom. I woke Topher up from his nap a little early and we went to the school to retrieve our sleeping beauty. The diagnosis from the doctor? A terrible ear infection and an eardrum so full of pressure it would likely burst.

Between falling asleep at school and waking up this morning, she slept for about sixteen hours, with a few interruptions for the doctor and a bite or two of food. She had one dose of antibiotics last night.

I'm happy to report that she was back to her energetic self this morning and, as of writing this at 8:41 PM, her eardrum is still intact. Due to the 102 degree fever she ran at the doctor's office, she stayed home today and rested, but she is ready to go back tomorrow. Modern medicine is truly a blessing.