Sing Out Strong

Sophie has been practicing with her elementary school chorus since September. Tonight we attended their holiday concert. They did a great job! It's a huge group with just over one hundred kids, the stage was packed. Sophie was so fun to watch! Her face was expressive and she clearly was having a grand time performing. Topher had gone to the concert yesterday that the kids put on for their classmates. I could hear him singing along and sometimes he would also do their arm choreography. In other words, he was a big fan.

I'm excited for their concert in the spring!

Brrrrrrrrr

It was 22 degrees when we left the house this morning. I didn't mind that we'd missed the bus because I didn't want to get out of my car to wait at the busstop. The warmest it got all day was 32 degrees. I made dinner tonight while wearing my jacket and scarf. It wasn't that cold inside my house, I just couldn't warm up from having been outside.

And Cooper still didn't think it was cold enough to wear a jacket.

A girl from church threatened bodily harm if he didn't put his coat on. He finally complied but insisted it really wasn't that bad.

I do not understand this.

He's Elusive

I have taken soooooooo many pictures that it can be difficult to search for pictures that have our entire family, there are simply too many photos to sift through. Except! I realized that Bryan does not love having his picture taken, so if he shows up in a photograph there's a good chance it contains the rest of us as well. And now I know that if I want to locate a family picture amongst the thousands on my Google Photos, I just need to search for Bryan.

And that is my life hack for the day. This tip won't help anyone else, but it definitely saved me some time this morning.

Merry and Bright

Giving Thanks

Our Thanksgiving day was extra special because Bryan's youngest brother Spencer drove all the way from Indianapolis to visit! I was so focused on cooking and visiting with him that I took very few pictures. Even without photographic evidence, it was a wonderful holiday.

Bryan and I spent most of the day cooking. Spencer helped with the sweet potatoes and with entertaining kids in the backyard. The meal was delicious!

Not pictured: six pumpkin pies (I decided to cut back this year and not make as many), one razzleberry pie, one key lime pie, one chocolate pie, and one apple cobbler.

After all the cooking and eating were finished, we played a few rounds of MarioKart. And by we, I mean not me. I was busy dozing on Bryan's shoulder.

This was taken just before I fell asleep.

After MarioKart we gathered back in the kitchen for dessert. I had failed to take a picture during dinner and only remembered to take this one after most people were finished eating their sweets. They were good sports and came back into the kitchen.

I'm thankful for this family of mine, both immediate and extended. And I'm thankful for a holiday focused of gratitude!

The Hero We Need

Topher was given the homework assignment to help his turkey make it to Christmas by disguising it. This was Topher's solution.

Happy Thanksgiving from Super Turkey!

Right Until the End

Sophie and Topher spent a morning before school last week writing this song. We recorded it just before we left for the bus that day. I love that they want to be BFFs right until the end.

Artistic Distractions

Sometimes when Phoebe is supposed to be doing her math homework, she draws instead.

Off to Oz

Cooper had his theatre debut this weekend. He and Peter were in their high school production of Choose Your Own Oz, an audience participation version of The Wizard of Oz. Peter played Uncle Henry and they were both trees. Yes, that's right, trees. They got to throw apples. In this version they threw them at the Wicked Witch instead of Dorothy. Peter got a big laugh as the slow-talking Uncle Henry. We went on opening night and watched their performances.

Peter is already looking forward to being part of the spring musical. Cooper has decided this will be both his first and last acting experience. I guess being a tree was all he needed.

Great job guys!

Soak Up the Sun

 

Can't Get Up Today

When I woke Topher up for school yesterday this was his response. He sat up and and immediately went back down.

Yeah, that's kind of how we all feel. We're ready for Thanksgiving break.

Advanced

This week we attended an academic awards ceremony for Peter. He was honored with the kids who had scored well on three or more AP exams. He's only taken three, so it's good that the base requirement wasn't higher. We were glad we could be there to celebrate his achievement.

Bonus Halloween

I bought this fun, peanut-free Halloween cookie decorating kit and then forgot all about it until November. We pulled it out last week and continued our spooky celebration past the actual holiday. Okay, seriously though, I'm ready for Thanksgiving.

Closing Time

Phoebe's second performance was also closing night. The kids wanted to go again to support her, which I thought was really cool. Bryan and Topher stayed home (because missing bedtime two nights in a row is a dangerous game), but I took the other three to cheer her on. She did a marvelous job! Several of Peter's theatre friends came to see it that night and showered Phoebe with praise afterward. I loved that Peter was eager to let them all know that the amazing actress in the red shirt was his sister.

And now she's experiencing the post-show slump that follows every production. I avoided that in high school by often being in more than one show at a time. It didn't matter that one show closed because I was already in rehearsal for the next show. The good news for Phoebe is that the middle school will begin working on their spring musical very soon. She's excited to be part of it, no matter what role she gets.

Playing Pretend

A few weeks into the school year Phoebe decided she wanted to audition for the middle school play, a one-act called Boxes. She memorized a monologue and we worked on it to get her ready to try out. She insisted that I walk into the school with her and wait in the hall while she auditioned. There were several other kids there trying out. They chatted and laughed while they waited. Phoebe ran through her audition piece over and over and over instead of visiting.

A few days later she was shocked to learn that she'd been cast as the antagonist, the second largest role in the show.

She's had rehearsals a few days a week after school ever since. And she's spent a lot of time worrying about her ability to perform the role the way the director wanted. She was concerned that all the other kids were getting notes on things to change, but she wasn't. Phoebe was concerned that the teacher wasn't correcting her because she didn't want to hurt her feelings. She had a hard time believing that it was because there was nothing to correct.

Tonight was opening night and our family went to support Phoebe. She was AMAZING! She played a mean, bitter character with a lot of trauma. In other words, someone very different from who she is in real life. And she was so natural and believable on stage. Her performance was so powerful that I teared up at the end. It was a joy to watch her act!

Childlike Faith

Our church congregation had our annual Primary Program the last Sunday in October. Topher was asked to finish a sentence prompt for his speaking part. Sophie was given a topic and asked to write a four-minute talk. Both kids delivered their parts beautifully. Sophie and her friend Gemma carried the singing for the musical numbers and Sophie sang a solo during one song. During last year's program Topher hummed all the songs, this year he actually sang words! It was all a success.

Topher's line: My favorite story of Jesus is when He saved Peter from drowning.

Sophie's talk:  

 I love bearing my testimony because I feel the spirit so strongly and love to tell people why I believe in Christ. When I was a lot younger I didn’t have a testimony. I made a testimony by reading the scriptures with my family and by going to church and learning from other people’s testimonies. I learned from primary songs that I still love to sing. A lot of people are still growing their testimonies even when they're adults. In the April General Conference Sister Bonnie H. Cordon said “We live in a fallen world, with distractions coaxing our eyes and hearts downward instead of heavenward. Much like the Nephites in 3 Nephi 11, we need Jesus Christ.” What she’s saying is that there are lots of things that distract us from the truth, making it harder to grow our testimonies. 

The Nephites lived in a time much like ours, full of distraction and wickedness.  In third Nephi chapter 11 verses 14-16 we read what happened when Jesus came to them “Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am … the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. And … the multitude went forth … one by one … and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know … and had witnessed for themselves.”

The Nephites saw the Savior in person, they felt the wounds in his hands and side. They knew, their testimonies were certain. But how can we know for ourselves when we don’t see Jesus in person? In the Book of Mormon Moroni taught us important steps to gain our own testimony. He’s speaking about getting a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but the steps are the same no matter what the subject. In Moroni chapter 10, verses 4-5 he said:

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

Moroni is telling us to study and then pray about our testimonies of the Savior. He wants us to ask not just because we can but because we really want to know the truth. Moroni also tells us to have faith in Jesus Christ.

Sometimes growing a testimony can be hard but here are some things I have done that helped strengthen my testimony. I go to church every Sunday and I take the sacrament. When I was eight I was baptized as a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints and I reserved the gift of the holy ghost. I read the scriptures and pray each night, all these things have helped me grow and nurture my testimony.

I bear my testimony that Jesus is the living Christ and that he loves us all more than we could ever imagine. I know that He performed great miracles like healing the blind man, raising the little girl from the dead, walking on water and healing the leper. He atoned for our sins in Gethsemane. I also know that he died on the cross for us and that after three days he was resurrected. And after he was resurrected he preached to the Nephites. I have faith that he will come again. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Initiative

Something amazing happened on Saturday. It was another beautiful day and one of the trees in our backyard had dropped most of its leaves the week before. Bryan and I agreed that we needed to gather all those leaves onto the street in front of our house so the city could collect them. It was chilly in the morning, and we needed to focus on chores inside anyway. We designated the afternoon as the ideal time to work in the yard.

Bryan had some errands that he needed to run. He left around lunch and the rest of us continued our Saturday chores (or avoidance of chores). After Bryan had been gone about an hour I looked out the window and saw Peter using the leaf blower in the backyard. I went outside and asked if Bryan had called or texted asking him to do that. No, he just knew it needed to be done and got started on it.

Let me repeat that.

HE JUST KNEW IT NEEDED TO BE DONE AND GOT STARTED ON IT!

You guys, this is a major milestone. I'm not being snarky or sarcastic at all. I'm truly thrilled that he took initiative and got started ON HIS OWN.

It was a big day.

Eventually everyone else went to join him.

A Shock to the System

Cooper has been burning the candle at both ends recently. Because of this he was falling asleep while doing homework. I suggested he stand up to work instead of lying on the couch. He went with a different option: stay on the couch but cover yourself with ice packs. He did not fall asleep.

Chore Avoidance

I asked Sophie to do her chores. Instead, she put together this costume and called me, "Sonny."

Topher followed her sartorial example and became a ninja.

Stuck On You

Today Topher discovered that his magnet tiles can stick to the gate outside his door. He and Sophie had a grand time creating on this new surface. Topher has been able to open that gate for years, we've only kept it on his door because it's loud enough that the sound alerts us when he leaves his room in the morning. I'm so glad they've found a new use for it.

Sing Out

Tonight Cooper, Phoebe, and I spent two and a half hours in this nearly one hundred and fifty year old church listening to a performance of Saint Matthew's Passion by the local Bach choir that my friend is in. it was glorious!

Here Comes Halloween

Phoebe wore her Halloween costume to school yesterday, including the broken face makeup. She was running late so I had to do this really fast. She was anxious that people would mock her for dressing up, but she got lots of positive comments from kids and teachers.

Even though we only had a handful of trick or treaters last year, Bryan wanted to be prepared in case we got more. And we did. He said about 30 kids came by. He set up our huge speaker that lights up and played Halloween music. He also hung lights on the trees and around the front door. We do have too much candy left over, but not as much as last year.

Peter met up with friends and I got zero pictures of him on Halloween. I told the other kids we would leave at 6 o'clock since that's the designated beginning to trick or treating hours for our town. Topher was the only kid ready on time, so he and I headed out and the other three caught up.

I took no pictures while we were actually trick or treating. I was more concerned about keeping track of everyone. We walked about two miles during our candy campaign. By the end of the night Topher was begging me to carry him, which I did for short distances. Phoebe's shoes had started to rub blisters on her heels. Luckily we're still roughly the same size, so I swapped my super comfy shoes for her slightly less comfy footwear. She was able to make it for the last thirty minutes and my feet held up okay.

Topher was adamant that the kids get to trick or treat at our own house at the end of the night. While they did that, Phoebe practiced being a creepy doll.

I didn't realize until I was looking at these pictures later that I caught myself in this picture.

Topher got lots of comments on his firefighter costume, many thanking him for his service. We learned that one of our neighbors is a retired fire chief. His wife opened the door, saw Topher, and said, "Firemen are my favorite!" Sophie also got lots of comments, especially on her pointy ears. It was a chilly night so she borrowed my cape to go over her elfin princess costume. It complimented it perfectly! Phoebe continued to nail her haunted doll look. And Cooper stuck with last year's mistborn costume. When people asked what he was dressed as he usually just said, "It's from a book."

The winner of the longest walk of the night goes to Peter. I dropped him off so he could meet up with friends about 2 miles from our house. He was the first to arrive since I needed to get back home to take the other kids out. I told him I would be trick or treating with the other kids and Bryan would be handing out candy, so if the friends didn't show he would have to walk home. It was still daylight at this point. The friends did gather and they went trick or treating for two hours. When that was done he discovered his phone was dead. Instead of asking to borrow a friend's phone so he could call us for a ride, he decided to walk home. Alone. In the dark. It had been so long since we'd heard from him that I went out driving through the neighborhoods I knew he'd been in with the group of friends. I called another friend that didn't go to see if she could track him down. Finally I got a call from Bryan saying that Peter had just gotten home. He had heard me say "walk home" without the other context. If I had driven a different way I probably would have found him. After that extra excitement, we were glad he was hone and safe.

I feel like Halloween has lasted a long time this year. It was fun, but I'm ready for Thanksgiving.