Friday, October 31, 2008
In Memory...
It is with a heavy heart that I let everyone know of the loss of a dear friend of mine. Our time together was too short and our companionship will be deeply missed. My handicapped parking permit expired today. We have been together for six months and I have treasured every day. It has helped me through many shopping trips and was irreplaceable at busy soccer fields. My whole family will treasure the memory of pulling into the parking lot, late for a game and seeing one handicapped spot still available. Everyone cheered. I think it will be the moments like this that I will miss the most. I was able to make the most of it's last hours of life by using it to park today at the elementary school Halloween parade. A fitting end to a most loyal and helpful companion. May it rest in peace. Flowers may be sent to me if you wish to express your condolences.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Conference Time!
Ok, I know I'm really back-tracking but I have a lot to catch up on that I want to document. I've heard a lot of criticism recently about blogging and I have to say that I still love it. It caused me to think about why I spend time doing this and I came to the realization that it doesn't even matter to me if anyone reads these posts at all. (Ok, I do care that you're reading this and I really love comments! :) )But really this is a fun way for me to document my little family's history. So anyway, now I'm going to talk about how we traditionaly celebrate general conference.
If you live in our house, usually the first 2 words that come to mind when I mention that it's conference time are these: EASY CHEESE. (I bet those are not the 2 words that came to your mind!) We have a conference tradition of setting out a big "snack lunch" to eat while watching the Sunday afternoon session. The menu has evolved over the years and is not to vary from this: crackers and Easy Cheese, veggies and dip, fruit and dip, deviled eggs, and slices of ham and turkey to make cracker sandwiches with the Easy Cheese. Anything else I would like to add is ok as long as there is Easy Cheese and deviled eggs. We also MUST have M&M's and gummy bears to play conference bingo. I went grocery shopping a couple of days before conference and set the new bottle of Easy Cheese on the counter before the kids got home from school. This is what they said when they saw it: "Easy Cheese! Cool! It's conference time!" Maybe that's not the most reverent approach to listening to the prophet and apostles speak, but hey, if they are excited to watch conference because the get to have Easy Cheese, then maybe that excitement will stay with them and when they're older they will want to watch just to listen to the prophet and apostles speak. And I think I will still put out the crackers and Easy Cheese then, as well!
If you live in our house, usually the first 2 words that come to mind when I mention that it's conference time are these: EASY CHEESE. (I bet those are not the 2 words that came to your mind!) We have a conference tradition of setting out a big "snack lunch" to eat while watching the Sunday afternoon session. The menu has evolved over the years and is not to vary from this: crackers and Easy Cheese, veggies and dip, fruit and dip, deviled eggs, and slices of ham and turkey to make cracker sandwiches with the Easy Cheese. Anything else I would like to add is ok as long as there is Easy Cheese and deviled eggs. We also MUST have M&M's and gummy bears to play conference bingo. I went grocery shopping a couple of days before conference and set the new bottle of Easy Cheese on the counter before the kids got home from school. This is what they said when they saw it: "Easy Cheese! Cool! It's conference time!" Maybe that's not the most reverent approach to listening to the prophet and apostles speak, but hey, if they are excited to watch conference because the get to have Easy Cheese, then maybe that excitement will stay with them and when they're older they will want to watch just to listen to the prophet and apostles speak. And I think I will still put out the crackers and Easy Cheese then, as well!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Game On!
September was the start of the fall sports season at our house. It has been crazy busy sometimes trying to coordinate everyone's games and practice schedules but has also been really fun. PK just finished his season of flag football at the junior high. He worked really hard, survived some pretty intense conditioning, and learned a lot about what it takes to give a "team effort." (In the picture below, he's the one closest to the foreground.)
PC is in the middle of his soccer season. He practices twice a week so some weeks he plays a total of 4-5 hours of soccer. Good thing that he absolutely loves it. He plays goalie and defender, two positions that he is amazing at.
A. is in her first season of soccer and is having lots of fun. Her team got the pink uniforms, an added bonus to the fun! I'll admit that I'm loving this girlie part of sports. Her team has hair bows to match the pink jerseys, her cleats and socks are pink and her soccer ball is......pink. They are all so stinkin' cute! (And they play pretty well, too!)
And E....he is the world's greatest fan. He is such a good sport about being in the car A LOT and sitting on the sidelines A LOT. Way to go, buddy! Your turn to play will be coming up soon!
It's been fun to spend time together as a family attending games. I think our children are learning a little about supporting each other. (And the trips to the concession stands are kind of fun, too!)
PC is in the middle of his soccer season. He practices twice a week so some weeks he plays a total of 4-5 hours of soccer. Good thing that he absolutely loves it. He plays goalie and defender, two positions that he is amazing at.
A. is in her first season of soccer and is having lots of fun. Her team got the pink uniforms, an added bonus to the fun! I'll admit that I'm loving this girlie part of sports. Her team has hair bows to match the pink jerseys, her cleats and socks are pink and her soccer ball is......pink. They are all so stinkin' cute! (And they play pretty well, too!)
And E....he is the world's greatest fan. He is such a good sport about being in the car A LOT and sitting on the sidelines A LOT. Way to go, buddy! Your turn to play will be coming up soon!
It's been fun to spend time together as a family attending games. I think our children are learning a little about supporting each other. (And the trips to the concession stands are kind of fun, too!)
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
My Loaves and Fishes Day
We have a lot of things going on this weekend. Aubrey is turning 8 and will be baptized on Saturday. I've been getting ready for that along with her birthday party and having family members come from out of town for the baptism. Not unusually stressful, but a little more than usual. With my preschool schedule it is sometimes hard to find time to run errands. I really pack it in on the days that I am not teaching.
My nephew had brain surgery on Friday. I was planning on going to their house to do some cleaning and laundry with another of my sisters. This would have to be on Wednesday, one of my "days off". But I started to look at the other things that I needed to do to get ready for this weekend and I considered putting off the cleaning day. When else was I going to get everything done if I didn't do it on Wednesday? Well, needless to say that little voice inside started telling me, "Hello!! You don't have a child who just had major surgery. Your children are all healthy. And you think that you don't have time to help your sister?" Needless to say I repented and went ahead with the cleaning day. And the most wonderful thing happened. We spent the morning getting the house clean and I ended up taking her laundry with me to finish at my house. After getting Ethan off to school, I looked over my list and got in the car to tackle my long list of errands. After looking at the list a second time I only needed to go 2 places. Did I not see that clearly before? I went those 2 places and came home and had enough time to finish all of my sister's laundry as well as all of mine. Did the loads magically wash and dry faster than usual? Did I end up with less laundry than I first thought? Did time stand still long enough to get it all done? I really can't explain it but I'm reminded of a scripture story found in Matthew:
"Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. " (Matthew 15:32-38)
I can't explain how I was able to get everything done today just as I can't explain how the multitude was fed from a few loaves and fishes. But I can say that miraculous things happen in your own life when you choose to give up a part of it for the good of someone else.
My nephew had brain surgery on Friday. I was planning on going to their house to do some cleaning and laundry with another of my sisters. This would have to be on Wednesday, one of my "days off". But I started to look at the other things that I needed to do to get ready for this weekend and I considered putting off the cleaning day. When else was I going to get everything done if I didn't do it on Wednesday? Well, needless to say that little voice inside started telling me, "Hello!! You don't have a child who just had major surgery. Your children are all healthy. And you think that you don't have time to help your sister?" Needless to say I repented and went ahead with the cleaning day. And the most wonderful thing happened. We spent the morning getting the house clean and I ended up taking her laundry with me to finish at my house. After getting Ethan off to school, I looked over my list and got in the car to tackle my long list of errands. After looking at the list a second time I only needed to go 2 places. Did I not see that clearly before? I went those 2 places and came home and had enough time to finish all of my sister's laundry as well as all of mine. Did the loads magically wash and dry faster than usual? Did I end up with less laundry than I first thought? Did time stand still long enough to get it all done? I really can't explain it but I'm reminded of a scripture story found in Matthew:
"Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. " (Matthew 15:32-38)
I can't explain how I was able to get everything done today just as I can't explain how the multitude was fed from a few loaves and fishes. But I can say that miraculous things happen in your own life when you choose to give up a part of it for the good of someone else.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Save The Family video-- pass it along!
Thanks for the link to this awesome video, Donna! This message is so important, not only during this election season but in every season.
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