Earlier this month we took a trip down to Vegas to be with my sister and her husband and some of their friends while they went to the Mt. West Basketball Championship. We didn't go to the tourney, but we had a lot of fun hanging out in Vegas. We especially enjoyed the sunny 80 degree weather!
We visited the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden. Kind of a strange combination, but fun nonetheless. You can tell Lauren is soaking up the rays! (And obviously not scared of the biting cacti)
This is on one of the trams on the Strip. Yes, we broke down and bought one of those monkey leashes for Lauren. She loved it! I swore we would never use one on our child, but you try keeping track of a curious 3 year-old who has no concept of fear, on the Las Vegas Strip! You'd buy one, too!!
One morning Ty and Brad and Uncle Hank got up real early to go look at the new bridge at Hoover Dam. They had a lot of fun, and I was able to make a lot of "Dam" jokes. It was a win-win for everyone!
Random Unrelated Picture: Last weekend, Brad took the kids up to Logan to spend some time on Uncle John's ranch. Ty caught this chicken and actually held it! Couldn't be prouder!
The great Relief Society leaders in our ward started out the year with a really cute idea. Each month for five months, they would have an activity related to the children's rhyme, This Little Piggy. For example, in January, they talked about This Little Piggy Went to Market. They met at a grocery store and had a nutritionist talk about good choices, ways to eat healthy on a budget, etc. In February, for This Little Piggy Stayed Home, they had a professional organizer come in and talk about home organization.
This month we had our R.S. Birthday party dinner. What did we have? Roast Beef, of course! They asked me to give a little talk. I never in a million years thought I'd ever be given a topic called, "This Little Piggy had Roast Beef!" But what fun it turned out to be! Here's my talk. It ends with a video that I've shared here on my blog before, but I thought I'd put it on here again, cause I love it so much.
This little piggy had roast beef.
Did you notice that it wasn’t This little piggy had hot dogs? Or This little piggy had fruit loops?
Why roast beef?
I think this piggy is a go-getter. He didn’t just stay at home like the previous piggy, and he didn’t accept nothing like the piggy that followed him. He wasn’t overly silly like the one that went around yelling wee, wee, wee!
Perhaps he knows what he wants and gets it. Not necessarily in a snobby, prideful way, but rather his self-confidence is secure, he knows who he is, and he takes care of himself. He’s feasting on roast beef and all that’s symbolic of. He doesn’t just go for crumbs.
There once was a woman who had always wanted to go on a cruise. She saved her money for a long time and the day finally came that she was able to buy passage on a her dream cruise. She took a tour of the ship, impressed by all the amenities. When the time came for her dinner reservation, however, she went back to her cabin and ate some cheese and crackers that she had brought with her. She knew that she had spent all of her money just being able to go on the cruise–she didn’t have any left for extravagant feasts. She did this for every meal. As the cruise ended and she was disembarking, the crew was there to say goodbye. She passed one crew member who seemed genuinely confused.
“I am the Food Service Director,” she said, “and I’m so surprised because I never saw you in the dining room. I made an effort to talk to every guest, and yet I’ve never seen you. Did you not eat while you were on board?”
Embarrassed, the woman nodded, and explained, “Well, I spent all I had just to be on the ship, so I knew I couldn’t afford the fancy food you serve. I ate in my cabin at every meal.” At this the Food Service Director looked shocked. “Did you not know?” she asked. “The price of the food was included with your passage. All the meals on the ship were free!”
Can you imagine her dismay when she realized that she could have been feasting on gourmet food, when instead she had been getting by on cheese and crackers?
What about us? Are we feasting on the Spiritual Gifts that Heavenly Father so wants to give to us, or are we settling for cheese and crackers?
As I’ve lived my life, I’ve come to realize that we have a choice. While Heavenly Father soooo desires to lavish us with the spirit, with protection, with Angels watching over us, He will not force it on us. We must ask, and search, and live in such a way as to recognize those blessings when they come.
As an example, I love a scripture, found in D&C 109: 22. This is part of the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple. It explains what we should expect from our temple service.
"And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;"
Armed with Power. Our Father’s name upon us. Father’s glory round about us. Angels having charge over us.
Anybody want that?
That, my friends, is the Roast Beef of life. That is the good stuff. Do we ask for and expect that when we go to the Temple? Or are we just quickly trying to make it into the session that starts in two minutes so we don’t have to wait for the next one? Do we spend some time afterwards reflecting, or are we leaving quickly to get down to the cafeteria before it closes? Do we even go enough to experience that?
If we really want to feast on Roast beef and all the accoutrements, instead of just cheese and crackers, we must remember our covenants! They are key to living a Roast Beef life.
There is a protecting power in our covenants. Speaking of those who had made the same covenants we have made, Ammon says in Alma 26:6 &7,
"Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.
But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day."
Now I’m not sure if all this talk about being safe in the storms is literal or figurative, and in light of all the calamities in the world, I sure hope it’s both, but I know that either way that I want this protection. And I KNOW, that this protection is directly correlated to how we keep our covenants.
If we’re living cheese and cracker lives, we’ll get cheese and cracker blessings. If we do our very best and give a Roast Beef effort, He will reciprocate with blessings beyond our imagination.
In closing, I want to share a video that has helped me to think about what constitutes a roast beef effort. It has really helped me as I’ve contemplated what I need to work on to live a better life.
I know that our Savior lives. He wants to bless us with all that He has. He wants us to be a powerful influence for good. As we learn to "live under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost," and strive for the Roast Beef of life, He will not fail us.
For awhile I've been getting mean, rotten comments on my blog. All of them are from strangers just passing through, but hurtful, nonetheless. That's why I changed my comments to blogger-approval, so at least I can delete them before they are published.
I came across something called The Mom Pledge , which made me happy. It's a community of Mommy Bloggers that want to be civil, kind, and accepting. Isn't that what we all need? Just a little bit more niceness? Take the pledge with me!
I’ve given up trying to convince people I am not a Democrat.
The moment a conversation turns political these days, whether it be with acquaintances, friends or family, the pit in my stomach grows. Not because I hate politics. Not even because I feel strongly about a current issue. In fact, most of the time, I agree wholeheartedly with the person about the issue.
I’m just sick of the Hate.
When did it become okay to spew hateful words and comments, questioning the entire moral character of someone with whom you disagree? Why is it acceptable to assume that just because I live in a red state and in a religious culture that values its conservatism, that it’s okay to bash Democrats–especially President Obama– in almost any setting?
For the record, I am a registered Republican. I am pro-life, pro tax-cut, and pro immigration reform. I believe in protecting our First and Second Amendment rights, as well as improving Education. I’m sick of the Welfare/Entitlement mentality of so many Americans, and am not sure what the right action is to solve the unemployment problem. I’m discouraged that Social Security will most likely be gone when I reach retirement age. I think the Bush Administration did the best they could have with what they knew, and am proud of them for keeping another terrorist attack from reaching American soil.
In the liberal land of my native Oregon, most people reading the previous paragraph about my beliefs would agree that I am pretty conservative. But in my social circles, I’m known as the Liberal One. Not really because my stand on any of the issues differs, but because I don’t hate President Obama. I don’t think he is the Spawn of Satan. I don’t believe he has some hidden agenda to socialize the Union. I don’t think he forged his birth certificate, and I believe him when he says he’s a Christian. In fact, although I don’t agree with many of his policies, I admire his attempts at reaching across the aisle to get things done.
It’s usually at this point in a conversation that the person I’m talking with comes to a realization about me. They give me a knowing look that says they’ve figured me out. Often with condescension, they address me as if I’m a naive person who’s been duped by the left-wing media. Either I’m lacking in morals or just not that bright. When I tell them I attended presidential rallies for Obama and Clinton, they are stunned and appalled. (I would have attended McCain, Romney, and heck–even Huckabee!–but they didn’t make it to my neck of the woods)
Here’s the thing: I was raised by an attorney father who taught me to think critically. I was expected to examine all sides of an issue before I made a decision. Even in small things like whether I could go with certain friends to see a certain movie, I was instructed to “present my case” to my parents, and back it up with reason and logic. Perhaps it’s because of this background that I cringe when I hear people blaming Obama for everything from the Swine Flu to bad cell phone reception to long lines in airports (Not kidding. I've heard all these blamed on him). Just because it gets forwarded in an email, or because it was on the news (FOX or CNN), doesn’t mean it’s true.
I honestly thought Republicans would be better. After 8 years of nonsensical Bush-bashing I thought we might be more compassionate toward the new President. But just the opposite has occurred.
We need to remember that it is okay to disagree with someone. Diversity and differences are what make America such an interesting place to live. I wish we could see that there is more than one way of looking at a problem, and that most of the time, there is no black or white answer. Political problems are complicated at best, laced with dangerous consequences at worst. There is no instruction manual, and oftentimes no roadmap from History to follow. Sure there are dishonest people, but why can’t we also concede that most people are just trying to do the best they can with the knowledge and the background they have? In any case, it seems like we should be able to show respect to people who have differing opinions than our own.
Stand up for what you believe? Of course! Just don't weaken your own argument by resorting to name-calling and personal attacks. It lacks class and shows how uneducated you seem to be.
This polarization of America is not making us stronger. It is unity and respect that make us strong. We are becoming weak. I fear that unless we are able to converse civilly, our democracy and way of life are in grave danger.
Anyone who knows Lauren has likely been asked by her to paint her "fingertails" or "Toetoes". She loves all things girl, including nail polish, lip gloss, and pretty hair. So we played around the other day, making her hair straight...
Tyler had to get into it, so we gave him a faux hawk. He's got these cowlicks up front, though, so it didn't work too well.
Lauren's birthday is a few days after Christmas, so we saved the bigger-sized gifts for her birthday instead of packing them in the car for Christmas. She loved her Dora bike, even though she probably won't be able to ride it til spring when the snow melts!
This cake was not my proudest moment! It kept falling apart on me. Thankfully, she didn't seem to care.
For days Lauren had talked about her cake, and us singing Happy Birthday to her, and how excited she was to blow out the candles. When the moment came, she was very serious about it. Like this was a very important thing, and she wanted to do it just right!
This was her little friend party. Just a couple girls and Tyler. It was perfect for that age. They colored, played some games, ate cake and ice cream, opened presents, and left an hour later. Pretty nice!
I can't believe she's three! Next step: Getting over her fear of the toilet! :)
We spent the week before Christmas in Oregon with my family. My parents had just moved back into their house (after 12 years away) the day before we got there. It was a lot of fun to be back home again where I grew up.
One of the favorite attractions were the neighbors' goats. They would literally eat anything, and the kids loved finding things to feed them.
Also high on the list of fun things was driving the tractor with Grandpa. They're still talking about how fun it was to drive the tractor, and how Grandpa got it stuck in the mud, but then pulled it out with the truck. Such adventure!!
Christmas Eve was spent with the family. Scott and Jared (my brothers) got out their guitars and entertained us. Jared has taught his girls a lot of his funny songs, so it was fun seeing the younger generation get into it!
Following our little family's tradition, the kids got to wear their new Christmas Jammies and slippers.
I'm not sayin' a word, not one single word about the Christmas tree, and how it happened to fall down (again!) when I was the only one in the room. And how we had to cut a foot off of it, and how it just wasn't the same pretty tree that we had chosen to begin with. Nope, not sayin' a word!
Christmas Morning: This is how I spent all my Christmas mornings as a kid. Lined up youngest to oldest, waiting while Dad (now Grandpa) went through his whole spiel about how sad it was that Santa didn't come.
Unfortunately, our trip got cut off a day early, since a storm was coming in and we didn't want to drive through it, so we had to leave on Christmas Day to go home. But although it seemed really short this year, we had a great time, and are so glad my Mom and Dad are home to stay!
This is what we came home to. Snow, snow, and more snow. I can't complain, though, I really like the white stuff.
We had just pulled up to the school. Tyler's friend that we carpool with got out and started running toward the door. Ty likes to keep up with him so they can stand next to each other in the line to go to their kindergarten classroom. But he forgot his backpack. I rolled down the window.
"Ty! Your backpack!"
"Aww man!" he yelled, as he quickly turned back to come and get it.
"Have a good day. I love you!"
"I will. You too." he said, turning around to try and catch up to his long-gone friend.
At this point I would have normally driven away, heading off with Lauren for errands, or a lunch date with Brad, or presidency meeting, or whatever plans I had for that afternoon.
But I didn't. I thought of my friend Anna, who recently wrote about the same kind of moment in her blog. (I would link to it, but it's private) We went to Time Out for Womentogether, and a couple of the speakers (Linda Eyre and her daughter Shawni Pothier)really emphasized Cherishing the little Moments in our lives. In fact, we were encouraged to
Remember the Moments
Acknowledge the Moments, and
Watch for the Moments
Time slips away so fast, and sometimes I find myself not enjoying the journey as much as I should.
Anyway...with all this in mind, I decided to just wait and watch until he got all the way inside before I pulled away. And I'm so glad I didn't miss this little moment:
As he walked up to the door, a little girl was already there and was opening it. I thought he would race right by her through the open door toward his friend in line. And he almost did. But then something clicked and he took the door and held it for her to go through first. And she did. Then they did it all again through the second door. As she went through that second door, and he stood there holding it for her, he turned to look at me, perhaps to see if I had seen his good manners.
I did see it. I had stayed to catch a moment, and I wasn't disappointed!
I gave him a big thumbs up, and he returned it with a big smile and thumbs up himself. I was so proud of my little man, and so glad he knew I had been there to see it.
Just a little moment, really. And yet it made a big difference in my day. I felt like a better mom. I was so proud of Ty for treating girls with respect and being a gentleman. I look at him a little differently now. He really is growing up.
The view from my front porch this morning. It's been lightly snowing for over 24hrs.
I dreamt of days like this in the dog days of Texas summers. I love the snow. I love the calmness, being cozy inside, the magic of it. Of course, I'm not the one shoveling it, or digging my car out. Brad's my shoveling hero!
I gave a lesson to my Young Women the other day on Optimism. The lesson pointed out how a go-with-the-flow attitude can help you be happier in the long run. I couldn't help but think of my mom, who is the epitome of go-with-the-flow. She doesn't get rattled when things don't work out the way she wants, she just finds a way to play with the hand she's been dealt.
I found one of my favorite examples of that come-what-may attitude as I was looking through my old journals. Please indulge me as I quote from an entry in my journal, dated February 17, 1990. I was thirteen years old.
Background: Growing up, my dad was the head of our Stake, which is a group of about 6 or 7 church congregations. Every six months we had Stake Conference, and often a General Authority came out from Salt Lake. We had several General Authorities stay with us over the years. It was kind of a big deal to make sure everything was clean and perfect for the visit.
"Today was a fun and busy day. It started at around 7:50. I got up and cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned some more. You see, it is Stake Conference weekend and Elder Pinnock is here. So, finally he got here. We ate lunch. They left for meetings and I had a b-ball game. We lost 71-25.
Then we came home to get the food and stuff for the dinner at the Stake Center. We were on our way out and Mom spilled the stroganoff on the asphalt. She was about to cry. We couldn't think of what to do. Finally, she goes, 'I don't care! We're gonna eat it anyway!' So we went into the kitchen and got a couple measuring cups, and I got another can of mushrooms and she got some more cream of mushroom soup.
'It'll have sour cream anyway, and you know, it was awfully runny.'
Yah! A great way to get rid of the sogginess!!! She took those measuring cups and started scooping that stroganoff off of the ground! We kept it a secret and were hoping no one would bite on a pebble.
Well, at the table, people were complimenting the meal and Dad was all bragging, 'Yah, that's my beef!' Mom and I started cracking up! It was so funny.
After the meeting, we hurried home to park in the same place where mom spilled so it would kind of cover it up. Mom spent many minutes trying to wash it down with the hose, but it didn't work. It was a fun evening.
p.s. Elder Pinnock calls me: Sal Pal Gal"
How could I not have learned to go-with-the-flow from that and the many other experiences I had growing up? What a valuable life lesson! Thanks Mom.
I feel like a bit of a slacker. Remember my tradition of making a specialized homemade birthday cake which the birthday child had requested?
There was Elmo for Ty's 2nd birthday...
Spiderman for his third...
The infamous Jesus cake for his fourth...
And a Cars theme for his 5th?
Well, I was planning on doing a Diego cake for his 6th, but something came over me when we were at Costco. Knowing that he's still easily persuaded, I started talking about how much I loved homemade cakes, but sometimes the store-bought ones were soooo cool! How I always felt so special when I got a store-bought cake. (At least it's true. There's something especially yummy about that Costco buttercream frosting that I love.) So he got excited and asked if he could have a store-bought cake this year. Please?! Please?! "Oh, okay, since you asked."
The selection was low, and we didn't have enough time to special order one, but he loved the music notes, and was very excited. And the chocolate mousse filling? Way better than any cake I've ever made, that's for sure!
Here's a little video of him blowing out his candles. I love the split second before he blows them out, where you can tell he's making a wish. I love the magic of childhood!
We had a great Halloween this year. The kids decided to be Dora and Diego, and they had a blast trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We spent the night with Ty's birth family at their annual family halloween party. It was a lot of fun.
We've decided that in our family we'll have big friend birthday parties every other year (if they want them) and just do something fun as a family on the year off. So when Tyler's birthday came up, we decided to go up to Ogden to a big dinosaur park. We got a hotel up there, and planned our fun trip, and then Brad's co-worker mentioned how scary the dinosaur park was in October, all decked out for Halloween. We decided not to scare the kids to death.
I'm so glad it didn't work out, though, because plan B was a children's museum up in Ogden called the Treehouse, and it was JUST PERFECT! We had so much fun! Other children's museums I've been to have been a little run down. But not this one! It was in tip-top shape, and had so much to see and do!
There were so many dress-up places.
They had a cute pioneer schoolroom that the children really enjoyed.
Moving on to the American West, they had a tee-pee.
And rodeo stuff.
This one was pretty funny. There was actual fluid coming out of the cow! The kids were grossed out and mesmerized at the same time.
They had a stage where they had a children's play. A worker narrated the story of the Princess and the Pea, while the children acted it out. Tyler was a guard.
Lauren didn't want to be in the play, but she got to play on the props afterward.
There was a fake oval office complete with the President.
Lots of science stuff.
Lincoln logs.
A hospital nursery.
And tons more that we didn't get pictures of. What a great place! We were there from opening to closing! If we lived closer, I would definitely want to become a member. The kids still talk about it and ask to go back.
We visited the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden. Kind of a strange combination, but fun nonetheless. You can tell Lauren is soaking up the rays! (And obviously not scared of the biting cacti)
