Just The Thing I Want To Do

We celebrated Jeff's birthday this weekend.  He gets better looking every year, I swear.  I didn't think it was possible, but it must be, because it is happening before my very eyes.  In addition to being hott damn (not a swear word, just an affectionate phrase,) he is nicer, smarter, happier, and more inspiring.  I love that I have a live-in example of the person I want to be.  The coolest thing about celebrating Jeff's birthday is that it was the same day as Daisy's baptism!

 We had waffles (Jeff's favorite...my LEAST favorite to make) for birthday breakfast and then spent the morning getting ready for Daisy's baptism and luncheon.  She was so excited to get so many sweet gifts from everyone.

 Grandpa and Grandma had to miss stake meetings to be here, but they wouldn't have missed it.  Grandma spoke about the Holy Ghost and brought YUMMY soup for lunch.

 We were so glad to have Great-Grandma Mary there with us.  Grandma JoAnn made our favorite chicken noodle soup and spoke about baptism.

 The birthday boy and the baptism girl.  These two are so much alike they make me giggle.  Daisy is a girl version of Jeff.

 She was starting to get a little nervous as the service started.  They didn't think there was enough water in the font.  But she sat down by Jeff and I and calmed right down.

 Daisy and Levi sang a special musical number with their cousins Ashlyn and Dawson.  Karson and Aunt Kandi played the piano.  Afterward we celebrated with soup and salad for lunch.  Daisy got to open more gifts and we got to visit with everyone. 

 As we have been preparing for this day, I have been thinking of what a privilege it is to belong to this church.  So few of Heavenly Father's many children have had the blessing of the gospel in this life.  I am so thankful, eternally so, that we get to enjoy the many blessings of the gospel every day.  Daisy has been looking forward to living the gospel more fully in her life.  She has been asking about fasting for a few months, and when she realized that Fast Sunday was the day after her baptism, she was thrilled.  She opened her fast on Saturday night, and then we went to Fast and Testimony meeting on Sunday morning.  After church when we were making lunch for the boys, she asked how long she was supposed to fast.  I explained a few things about fasting to her and then told her she could decide how long she thought she could fast, and since it was her first time, there were really no set requirements.  She finally broke her fast at 4:00 that afternoon.  I was so proud of her!  She is also so excited to bear her testimony in sacrament meeting, have her own scriptures, and pay tithing.  In fact, she took one of the checks her grandma gave her for her baptism with her to church the next day to give to the bishop.  I explained that she needed to cash the check first since it was made out to her, but her enthusiasm and generosity made me smile.

I am reminded every day as I am able to be at home with my kids, but on special occasions like these, the words of the Savior echo in my mind, "Behold your little ones."  Yes, I will.  And I am ever grateful for the privilege.

Invisible Children

I have always been fascinated by the Holocaust.  I devoured books about it throughout junior high and high school.  I continue to read and learn what I can about the horrific events.  When I was at Georgetown University in Washington DC, my friend and I happened upon the Holocaust Museum one Saturday afternoon when we were out sight seeing.  I was sickened.  It was such an overwhelming experience that we returned to our dorms afterward, our day of sight seeing finished.

Regardless of what I see or hear or learn, the question that I continue to ask is "how?"  How could something like this happen?  How could a cultured, civilized, respected group of people allow something as atrocious as the Holocaust to take place?

A few years ago I read "Left to Tell" by Immaculee Ilibagiza (get it at the library or on amazon) and asked the same question.  How?  How is it possible in the world we live in with the technology, wealth, luxuries, organizations, and knowledge that we have that the Rwandan genocide even took place?  And then last fall I heard Mariama Kallon (get her video on amazon or at Deseret Book) speak about the genocide in Sierra Leone.  I was brought to tears and found myself asking again.  How? 

So today I took 30 minutes out of my morning to find out what all this "KONY 2012" talk is about.  And I found someone who has determined to do something.  The answer to my question, how, is answered in a quote attributed to Edmund Burke, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."  The world of technology that we live in today allows us to do something.  It is possible for individuals living in small rural USA to have an impact on the horror affecting the Invisible Children in Uganda.  When my grandchildren read about the world events that took place during my lifetime, I don't want them to ask "how?"  "How did my grandmother's generation do nothing about the genocide?  How did they allow this to happen?"  When I consider all the phenomenal feats that have been achieved by determined groups of people, I believe that evil dictators can be brought to justice.  I believe it is possible.  I ordered my kit today.

www.kony2012.com

Dream Come True

Have you ever dreamed that something impossible was actually possible?  That something completely unrealistic actually became reality?  I have.  A few years ago I read a blog post by Hilary Weeks where she described doing a private concert for some professional golfers.  I dreamed that it could happen to me, that I could have a Hilary Weeks concert at my house. 

Some dreams sort of fade away over time.  Though the memory of the dream is still sweet, it loses its luster as reality marches on.  Others, the kind that come true, grow bigger and bigger and sort of demand your attention in and of themselves.  This is what happened with my dream.  I listen to Hilary when I'm driving, when I'm cleaning, when I'm cooking, and when I need an extra lift in my day.  Every time I would listen to her, which was obviously a lot, I couldn't get the dream out of my head that someday she would be able to come.

This week my dream came true.  I started inquiring about the process in December.  I worked with Hilary's assistant.  I invited several close friends and family to come.  They were as excited as I was and all came together to make it possible.  And she came.

 She came and spent the whole night with us and did a private concert.  It was a surprise for Daisy, and she was thrilled.  She sat and listened and sang along to every song.

 My mother-in-law, in whose basement we dwell, graciously hosted all of us in her beautiful home so we had more space.  This is a picture of her, Hilary, Daisy and I, and my sisters-in-law and nieces.

 The little girls asked her to sign their arms and old t-shirts, and instead of calling them ghetto (like I would have) she played right along.  They were in heaven.

 My aunt and sister drove over two hours to be here...and then got caught in the snow storm on the way home.  I was so grateful they made the trip.

 Just like listening to her music inspires me to be a better person, spending time with her inspires me to reach a little higher, try a little harder, expand my circle of service, and lift those around me.  She is gifted in so many ways, and while I'll never be able to sing like her (which doesn't stop me from belting it out while I'm chopping onions) I can try to emulate her ability to be an elevating influence on all those she comes in contact with.  I can strive to follow that example.

My oldest friend in the world that I'm not related to came all the way from the other end of the state to spend this night with us.  It's hard for me to imagine spending time with Hilary without her since we sort of fell in love with her together.  It was so fun to share this night together too.

Even now, days later, I am still riding the high.  I feel uplifted and inspired by her music.  I feel my testimony strengthened by hearing hers.  I feel motivated by her example and the way she treats and interacts with others.  And I feel that complete elation that is only experienced when a dream comes true. 

Monster Jam

 Santa brought the kids tickets to the Monster Jam this year.  Finally, after months of waiting, the day of the big show finally arrived.  We drove to Sandy where we hopped on Trax to ride into the city.  It was Isaac's first time on Trax and you would have thought it was a ride at Disneyland.  He loved it.  The boys are making their fierce Monster Jam faces in this shot.

 The girls decided against fierce Monster Jam faces, but it is clear that now I have made the transition into the over 30 category I need to make a serious investment in wrinkle therapy.  Sad true story.

 The Trax map kept the kids thoroughly entertained.  It was like we were on a treasure hunt.

 From the minute we walked into the arena Isaac was covering his ears.  You could tell by looking around that we were not experienced monster truck rally fans since we were the only ones without earplugs or headphones.  Ooops.  Thankfully a nice monster truck fan sitting behind us passed up an extra pair that Levi used.

 We had great (and cheap!) seats.

 Wolverine was Levi's favorite monster truck.

 Isaac said, "I wuv 'em, mom.  I wuv monster trucks!"

 I never really figured out how the whole thing worked, but the trucks took turns, received scores, and some were declared winners.

 The crowd favorite was Grave Digger.  I guess this is it's 30th anniversary.  Hmmm...Grave Digger and I have something in common, and it's not wrinkles.

Thankfully we got out of there without the $30 plastic Grave Digger hat...whew!  The kids said that now we are going to Monster Jam "every year."  Yikes!

All Things Testify

Brisk dawn
North wind, high and chill
Whispers of snow lift at mountain peaks
"When I in awesome wonder."

Heart accelerates
Muscles, bones, joints, organs
Breathe to the rhythm of my feet
"Thy power throughout the universe displayed."

I pray
Amid creation. Tabernacle of clay
Gratitude, guidance, humility, love
"Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to thee."

Eight is Great!

 We've been looking forward to celebrating this big birthday with Daisy for a looooong time.  The days-long partying began the Saturday before her birthday.

 Grandpa and Grandma Jones, and Jamie and Jade drove up to have birthday dinner and open presents with Daisy.  It is a long drive for them and we are so happy when they come.

 Daisy wanted biscuits and gravy, her favorite, but mom didn't want to make them so we went out for some purchased birthday dinner and opened presents there.  Grandpa and Grandma gave Daisy a special baptism necklace and money to pick out a baptism dress.  Jamie and Rian gave her a CD case and the new Taylor Swift CD.

 The next day we had birthday dinner and opened presents with Grandpa and Grandma Dansie and the cousins.  For birthday dinner this time around, Daisy chose mashed potatoes and gravy (what is it with this girl and gravy?  Oh, I know, she is a CLONE of her father.)  Grandpa and Grandma gave Daisy some new dance clothes, a 'peace' hoodie, a doll, and a fashionista necklace.  It was great!

 After dinner, we Skyped with our cousins in Ohio.  It is always so fun to see them.  The kids sing songs together and show each other their latest greatest toys and creations.  It makes it feel like they're not so far away.

 On the morning of her birthday, Daisy requested Cream of Wheat and scrambled eggs for breakfast (now that's more like it!) 

 She opened her gifts at the breakfast table.  She got new DC shoes (which is the only thing she asked for) and a new karaoke CD (since she is a blossoming rock star.)  She was ecstatic and put them on right there at the table.

Right after school we geared up for Daisy's first birthday party ever.  We always give the kids a choice between a family activity (Jazz game, trip to the zoo, etc.) or a friend party.  Until now, they have always chosen a family activity (or my convincing powers have been very persuasive.)  This year Daisy wanted to have a Rockstar Birthday Party...so we did! 

 With the help of our super creative and extra generous friend Jessie, Daisy had the PERFECT hot pink and zebra stripe invitations.  We played games and sang karaoke before eating birthday cake and opening presents.  Turns out that having a friend party wasn't quite as bad as mom expected.  We had a lot of fun.

 One of the best parts about being the birthday girl was being Star of the Week.  Each day was something very special.  On Monday Daisy shared her very special Star poster that she worked so hard to create.  We're just glad Grandma let us borrow her Cricut or we may have been in trouble.  I went and joined Daisy for school lunch, which was fun because she was so surprised.  And just as a side note, you don't need to worry about our kids consuming too much red meat at school because I have no idea what that cheeseburger I ate was made out of, but it was not beef.  On Tuesday it was Daisy's Star of the Week sharing day.  She, of course, wanted to share the puppies.  And they, of course, were a hit with the whole second grade class.  On Wednesday it was Star Story day so I went to her class to read her favorite book, which is her Shutterfly photo book of the year she was 6.  It was fun to share with her class.  Thursday was Star Cafe where she got to eat lunch in her classroom with her teacher, and Friday was Star Snack day which had me flying off to the bakery at 7:00 AM to buy fresh hot doughnuts for the entire class, which I'm sure they completely appreciated.  Oh well, I know Daisy did.

One of Daisy's favorite gifts was from Aunt Chelsea.  Chelsea lives in Korea, so she sent a digital gift.  It included a host of Chelsea's friends and coworkers wishing Daisy a happy birthday in their native languages, which was fun for all of us to see and hear.  It also included Chelsea's memories of Daisy's birth, her testimony of baptism, and her expressions of love for our girl.  It really is a priceless gift and I'm so glad that we have a digital version of it so we can watch it over and over again (which Daisy has done!)

We've already learned that eight is great.  Next up for Daisy: baptism.

Puppies

 Our perfect, innocent family dog, Star, had an instinctive encounter with the neighbor dog turning her into a mom.  Needless to say, the kids are thrilled with our 6 new puppies.

 They are suddenly much more enthusiastic about helping with the chores, for which we are thankful. I must confess, the puppies are simply irresistible.

 They are super chubby, which only makes them cuter.  I can't believe how fast they are growing and how roly poly they are.

 We even hauled them to the school when it was Daisy's turn for sharing.  She was proud as punch to show off her little prize puppies.

The good news for you is that all six are still available to good homes!  Surprise!  My kids will be so sad when we finally have to say goodbye to these cuties.