Our Family Project

Today was a lazy Saturday.  Have you ever had those Saturdays when you are running all over the place?  Have you had more than one ... okay, maybe four or five in a row?  It seems like that's all we've had the last few months.  Until today.  We didn't have to get our house super clean by a certain time because friends would be coming over.  We didn't have to run from one event to another.  (Granted, Jon did go on a hike with the youth as part of youth conference from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., and I was at a baby shower from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)  I didn't spend all day doing laundry (like last week), or dishes.  We didn't even really do our weekly house cleaning.  Oh, and the best part was that the TV wasn't really on too much (aside from the time when Eliza was babysitting for me). Andrew and Adam spent a good part of the day working on their projects for Biz Day.  Eliza and Kate spent a good amount of time on theirs as well.  I was ab...

Yesterday at stake conference, one of the speakers talked about The Sabbath.  She mentioned how relaxed we've become as a people when it comes to the Sabbath Day.  She quoted someone saying how to our great grandparents it was called The Holy Sabbath Day, to our grandparents it was The Sabbath, to our parents it was Sunday, and to us it is "The Weekend." It really made me sit back and think about my Sabbath Day activities.  Most often, I take a nap, make dinner, and put the children in bed.  We rarely do anything special just on the Sabbath.  But, I realize that the Sabbath Day is a significant part of my worship of Heavenly Father and Jesus.  As I attend my church meetings, read my scriptures, write in my journal, and generally think about things that I don't think about during the week (because of distractions due to work), I realize that I am really rejuvenating my spirit for the week ahead. I read a book almost two years ago about an orthodox Jewish...

We just got back yesterday from a camping trip.  Originally, we planned on going to Disneyland for Jon's vacation time at the end of January/beginning of February.  We were going to meet my sister there and take advantage of the smaller crowds and lower costs.  But, alas, it still would have cost us $2500 for the trip (food, accommodations, and park passes).  And, we just found out that Jon has a cyst on his head that needs to be surgically removed ($3000).  We decided that since we have a high deductible insurance plan and will have to pay $3000 out of pocket before the insurance will cover anything, that we would just stay around here for his vacation. We went into the nearby mountain range by our house, and stayed for a few days.  The camping there is really accommodating: flush toilets and showers!  We were surrounded by RVs .... the only tents in sight.  I took my camera without remembering that Jon lost my lens cap in October and I haven't...

Our Christmas was so much fun.  In the past I've been ready well before Christmas, with present wrapped at the end of October.  Not so for this year.  I was shopping for presents the Saturday before Christmas.  And, after going out there in the masses ... I will not do that again next year!  Traditionally, our children have stocking stuffers and presents from us.  We don't do the Santa thing.  Just haven't ever wanted to.  Also traditionally, all of our children get similar items.  Most of the time it's because they all want what each other wants.  But, sometimes it's not the case.  This year, they all got lapdesks to use for school when we do our science or history in the living room.  (Of course, they each got their assigned color as well.) Traditionally, we all get toothbrushes in our stockings.  This year I got them all battery-powered toothbrushes.  I've never seen so many children get excited over a toothbru...

We had the opportunity to go with my brother-in-law's and sister-in-law's families on a family campout for my brother-in-law's church congregation.  Actually it was sort of a regional thing ... the entire stake was invited.  It was a phenomenal opportunity.  And, those who planned it and were in charge did such a fantastic job! We went to a scout camp that is only about 2 1/2 hours away.  It was so nice to be among pine trees, camping out of doors, and still have potable water and the absence of mosquitoes.  It was severely serene and beautiful. Because we were camping at a scout camp, we had all the amenities we could ever hope for: a cafeteria, fantastic food, flushing toilets, a zip line, archery range, horseshoes, badminton, trails, and even showers.  Each ward took their turn preparing and serving a meal, and then cleaning up afterward.  Because of our little ones, we had to divide and conquer.  So, I ended up hanging out with our l...

Last Friday, our friends from Minnesota were driving from Los Angeles to visit family in Arizona.  They were so kind to stop by for a little while to visit with us! When we opened the door, their youngest daughter stepped inside and started removing her shoes.  LOVE THAT!  Reminds me of good old Minnesota common courtesy.  She also looked at us like she wasn't quite sure what to do ... she was the only one of her family actually inside the door (everyone else was still getting out of their van).  I think she remembered us, but because our house is different she was a little disoriented for a while. They were only able to stay for a couple hours, but was so wonderful to see good friends and know that we are able to pick up right where we left off as though we had never moved away!  Love you our Minnesota Friends!

When we got back from our Utah visit in August, we picked up our mail and Eliza and Kate were ecstatic to see that they had each received a special invitation to spend a day at the castle.  The following Saturday, I took them to our stake center to spend a day with all of the girls in the stake ages 8- to 11-years-old. It was such a great experience for my girls.  At the church they were split into groups and they made wands (with blinking lights!), then took classes about modesty, personal hygiene, ettiquette, and combating the forces of the adversary.  They also had their pictures taken ... a "before royalty" picture and an "after royalty" picture.  All of the mothers were invited to come watch their daughters be presented, and then we got to watch a slide show of all the photos.  Some of the girls were so cute posing as princesses.  And, I could not believe how much the girls acted like teenage girls: screaming and yelling when their photos show...

We were able to spend time with Jon's brother and sister and their families this last weekend.  It was so much fun to watch our children play with their cousins and remember what it was like to play with my cousins. Ever since I can remember, my family was invited to my grandparent's house (on my mom's side) just about every month to celebrate all the birthdays that would occur in that month.  This is one of the things that I've always cherished about my childhood: the fact that we lived near our extended family.  This is also one of the things that I hated about living so far away for those seven years we were in Minnesota. Now that we are around more family, it has been so delightful to get together with them and watch our children's relationships with their cousins blossom.  One of the benefits we have is that our children are pretty much younger than Jon's sister's children ... her youngest is Kate's age.  So, Jon was able to say, "Watch...

Last week I moved the tv out of the living room into our bedroom.  The children were getting too distracted by it in the morning, and they were struggling to get ready for school.  So, I eliminated the distractor.  Easy peasy.  And, because there isn't a tv, they have started to play more together and actually be inventive.  It's been great! So, last Friday while I was making popcorn for dinner (yes, you read that right: popcorn for dinner; I was being lazy), they started to play a meditating karate/ninja game.  They's pretend to meditate for a while and then they'd start making karate chops on the ground and stuff.  It was so great to watch their imaginations at work!

This last weekend, Jon took the children swimming in our pool at our complex while my mom and I visited for a while.  After a few minutes they all came back because Adam had to use the bathroom.  So, I sent everyone back and said I'd bring Adam back.  I saw it as the perfect picture-taking opportunity!  They are all so cute, and I love watching them swim. The pool has three little fountains that are the perfect depth for Maryanne.  And, the fountains are great toys too! For some reason, we attract strange people at the pool.  This man was swimming laps and Andrew threw one of his toys into the water ahead of him.  He dove down and got the toy for him, then proceeded to tease Andrew about it.  Later, he swam under the water behind Eliza and poked her in the sides.  Maybe people here like children and we are supposed to give them the opportunity to play with some????  Oh, and for those of you who read my status on...