Traditions

I love having seasons. It is so fun that with each changing season there are certain traditions that we can enjoy. Here are some of our Fall traditions we have enjoyed lately.

Leaves

Hiking amongst them

Raking and playing in them

FOOD

Jack-o-pizza and Frankenstein Jell-O

Fondue Carmel Apple

Pumpkin cookies, muffins, pancakes, pie YUM!

Pumpkin Farms

Love school field trips!

Jaker's Jack-O-Lanterns

(Bonus for it was all free)

Just the right scary house for our  nervous boy

corn maze

Hay Ride

Love this picture my daughter took. 

Snow covered mountains means soon another season with many more traditions to enjoy!

Pumpkins

This year, we enjoyed going to the Central Utah Gardens. 

Wear a costume, get a doughnut

We watched a Puking Pumpkin show, did some carnival games, petted some reptiles,

 and went on the pumpkin walk to see the pumpkin carving contest.

We also carved pumpkins this year. While not as elaborate as the ones above, still pretty fun to see my kids creativity.

Ewww

Broke out the power tools this year

Just like dad-sticks out his tongue when concentrating

The final results

Recognize and Remember God's Kindness

When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. Let me tell you how that got started. I came home late from a Church assignment. It was after dark. My father-in-law, who lived near us, surprised me as I walked toward the front door of my house. He was carrying a load of pipes over his shoulder, walking very fast and dressed in his work clothes. I knew that he had been building a system to pump water from a stream below us up to our property.

He smiled, spoke softly, and then rushed past me into the darkness to go on with his work. I took a few steps toward the house, thinking of what he was doing for us, and just as I got to the door, I heard in my mind—not in my own voice—these words: “I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.”

I went inside. I didn’t go to bed. Although I was tired, I took out some paper and began to write. And as I did, I understood the message I had heard in my mind. I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family. Grandpa didn’t have to do what he was doing for us. He could have had someone else do it or not have done it at all. But he was serving us, his family, in the way covenant disciples of Jesus Christ always do. I knew that was true. And so I wrote it down, so that my children could have the memory someday when they would need it.

I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.

The years have gone by. My boys are grown men. And now and then one of them will surprise me by saying, “Dad, I was reading in my copy of the journal about when …” and then he will tell me about how reading of what happened long ago helped him notice something God had done in his day.

My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done. You remember that song we sometimes sing: “Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”² Henry B. Eyring, “O Remember, Remember,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 66–69;

I was reminded up this talk by our Laurel adviser the other day when she referred to it in our Sunday YW lesson. First off, can I say how grateful I am that I have this lady in my life. It is so nice to have someone else to work closely with as I serve the Young Women. I am also so grateful for her insight and the ability to teach lessons in a way that sticks with you. 

I have found myself thinking a lot about this line, from Pres. Eyring's talk My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. There are a variety of ways I can do this. One way is this blog. I had intended on doing a different post everyday but life hasn't allowed me to do this. So here is the condensed version of some things lately I have wanted to express gratitude for.

First off, is a big THANK YOU for all the support we have received from so many in regards to my husbands employment. Thanks for your comments on here and facebook. The emails and phone calls. The hugs. Passing on job listings. Asking for resumes. Talking with friends in the engineering world on our behalf. Personal recommendations. It all means so much!

The Temple. What a blessing to have one close that we can attend often. What a special work is done within the walls of this holy place that have eternal consequences. There truly are some amazing blessings that our given to us if we keep our covenants. Blessings that help in day to day life as well as after we die. I was reminded of this, this past week as we attended the endowment and sealing of a couple that my husband has worked with when he was bishop. After years of patiently waiting, by the wife, this couple was able to go through for themselves and be sealed together on their 48 year anniversary.

The counsel to stay out of debt, save money and have food storage. My father is currently serving as a bishop. The other day he shared he had a couple that had been out of work for two days and were now needing to come to him for help.  I am grateful that the Lords has provided a way for those in need to have someplace to go. I am also so grateful that over the years we have heeded counsel so we are not needing that help at this time. What a peace it has been at this time of our life to know that we can still be self reliant as we face this trial in our life.

A New Stage

Can I just say this has not been an easy post to write. Sometimes it is hard to know that what you are posting could be read by all sorts of people. It involves lots of thinking about what you really want "all the world" to know. Life has changed pretty dramatically for us. Depending on the day, this post has taken on a lot of different slants. My husband was laid off, due to corporate restructuring, just shy of two weeks ago.

Let's just summarize my many deleted thoughts and say, unemployment sucks. I don't like that my children have to worry about money. It's sad that every prayer now includes, "Please help Dad to find a job." No need to worry that they are becoming repetitious prayers for they also now include that we won't have to move.

My seven year old came to me the other day and said, "We all need to go and start looking for a job for Dad." I had to try hard not to laugh, for the way she said it was as if we were looking for a lost item. If only it was that simple.

The bright side of our current situation is that I get to have my husband around a lot.  I love having my husband home! Hey, who wouldn't wish for free, easy access to a babysitter(I think my husband may start to think that's the only reason I like him home). At least he gets to see how much I usually have to do with little ones in tow.  We are also starting to whittle down on that "honey do" list. 

Unemployment means having all this time on your hands that you wish you had when working. The irony is that you have no money to go and do anything. We were blessed with a good severance package, which is a tremendous piece of mind right now, but we still have to be very careful financially for who knows how long that package will need to stretch. That is probably the hardest part. The unknown. Especially for a women who likes to have a plan. It effects everything for there is no idea what the future is going to bring.

It takes a lot of patience. I recently taught a Young Women lesson on this very subject and could especially relate to these thoughts by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. "Patience-the ability to put our desires on hold for time-is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter. Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God;we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace."

We were blessed to have been given an unofficial heads up of this lay-off about six weeks before it actually happened. We choose not to tell the kids for a variety of reasons. One of which was the hope that we might secure another job.

Gotta love applying for jobs. It's all a guessing game as to what key words to enter so that it makes it past the computer generated HR process. The other day, my husband went through the long process of entering ALL his information. He immediately got a response back that said he was not qualified. Apparently he hadn't listed  time management as one of his skills amongst the fifty or so other skills he had listed. Ugh!

As time continues to go on and all of my husbands efforts hasn't even produced an interview, I have found myself especially relating to these words. "Patience is far more than simply waiting for something to happen-patience requires actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results don't appear instantly or without effort. Patience is not passive resignation nor is it failing to act because of our fears.... Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can-working, hoping, and exercising faith;bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf). 

We will continue doing all we can and try to not get discouraged. We are striving to follow this scripture "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."  Proverbs 3:5. I have no idea what the Lord has in store for us. All I can do is trust Him. I also cling to the fact that when my husband was first given a heads up he was relatively calm and not that worried about it.

For now, I'm striving to just enjoy how my life is currently. I have no idea what changes are in store and the last thing I want is not have fully appreciated what I have today.


*If you hear of any jobs for a mechanical design engineer we would love a referral or a good word put it. Never know where that next job might come from.
 

Happy Halloween 2013

Once upon a time there was a Mama bear, a Papa bear,

 and a pretty cute Baby bear..........

Who went to a party. 

While they were there they met all sorts of creatures....

 the feminist version

Miss Smartie Pants

The Hulk

The true identity of the Hulk is revealed

Cookie Anyone?

Luckily they even met Goldilocks so they could rest assured she wasn't destroying their home.

Pretending to eat porridge-which she did request for breakfast Halloween morning

Random Thoughts

Bobby pins. Find them everywhere. It's gone too far when it's the kitchen sink.

I am amazed that my girls request to go to the temple before school. Even more neat that it's busy. What great youth we have!

Stupid government shut down. Now rethinking Fall Break plans.

I wish I was better at coming up with answers and communicating in the moment. I always seem to think of the perfect way to answer or the way to express what I intended to say later.

Why exactly did I buy toys? Seems like they aren't played with near enough for the amount of time it takes to keep them picked up.

18 months. Love the giggles, snuggles, nursery. Hate the climbing, mischievousness, faster than light speed dumping of drawers, baskets, book shelf, cereal boxes.

I can't believe the distance broken glass can travel when accidentally dropped on tile. Vacuums are life savers when it comes to cleaning up a dumped flour container. Oh and in case you are wondering, pear juice is really sticky but not as bad as spilled lemonade.

For the most part I get to sleep through the night (Yay!) Still I battle to stay awake while reading with my son. Does the body ever get enough sleep?

Love to see my daughter's creativity and excitement as she asks out for her first high school dance.

I'm having a really hard time finding the motivation to put into reality the ideas my kids have of what they want to be for Halloween.

I need to do a better job of making sure my kids know that I do enjoy being a mom.

So glad I have the internet for when my kids need help with homework. Don't know how my parents did it without it.

I can't believe how much food we go through.

Some days would not be possible without having a daughter who can drive. Not as convenient when she was learning but now it's really nice.

Math teachers should not send home math assignments that don't have the right answer listed. I would think a job requirement would be to look over the assignment before giving it.

Love seeing my oldest's excitement over what she is learning in seminary. Thank goodness for great teachers!

"A is for Apple." Brings back memories from a long time ago. So fun that they still use these songs in kindergarten (and that he has a teacher that will dance along).

Love the thrill of getting what we need for dirt cheap.  

I am enjoying seeing my oldest two come home from school together, talking and sharing similar experiences. Just nice to see them interacting in a sisterly way.

Empty boxes in the pantry. Is really that hard to throw them away? Or better yet- one piece of cereal or cracker left in the bag. Was it really too much to eat that last one?

Nap time. Some days I spend the morning just trying to endure until Princess takes one. Thank goodness she does-keeps me sane and for the most part just the break I need  to face whatever may be thrown at me the rest of this day. Always an adventure. 

Young Women

 I had the privilege of attending Young Women's Camp this year..... ss the camp nurse. When I was first asked, my girls were ecstatic and I was pretty nervous. Yes, I am a nurse. Yes, I have an active license, which I have kept up with continuing education. But, A LONG time ago I made the decision to stay at home full time rather than try and work part time. It has been a long time since I have worked so I am often hesitant to tell people I am a nurse. I guess that cat is now out of the bag. Let's just say I have spent the last 6 months doing a lot of reviewing and studying, all in the hopes that if I was prepared the Lord would help me out when I needed it.

Camp went great, all the girls survived. They returned home tired, dirty, grateful they didn't have to haul anymore lake water to flush the toilets, and many on a spiritual high. I couldn't believe how fast camp went. Saturday evening, as I sat, trying to stay awake as my family watched a movie, it was hard to believe that camp was even a reality. Had I really just survived a week of managing medication for over 200 girls, burns, cuts, nose bleeds, sprained knees and ankles, stomach upset, cramps, dehydration, headaches, asthma and a concussion? Not to mention emotional support for leaders and girls that just needed to talk. I had a hard time believing that all that had really happened.   I knew that the only way I had made it through was with Lord's help. Being camp nurse was something I grew and learned from. Boy did it come with a lot of responsibility and anxiety if I truly would be prepared for the unknown.

On top of all this, two weeks before camp I was called into the bishop's office and called to serve as the YW president of our ward. I had kind of thought that I was needing to refresh my nursing skills so that I could be the camp nurse for a few years. I know my girls wanted this, especially Minnie for next year would be her first year at girls camp. Little did I know the Lord didn't call me to be the camp nurse for the first aid portion, but so I could learn about the Young Women's program. I have never served with the Young Women since I was a YW myself (we won't say how many years that's been). The past six months, as I have sat in meetings with various stake leaders, I have learned about the YW program. I have seen how to run meetings and how to work with the youth to help them be leaders. There were times that I left those meeting thinking how grateful I wasn't actually in YW for it is so busy and a lot to do. What a responsibility to be a teacher and role model for these choice daughters of God. I was so grateful that wasn't my current calling. Apparently the Lord didn't agree.

The YW in our ward knew that the YW president was going to be changed the Sunday after camp because the previous YW president had already moved just a couple weeks before camp. It was a fun experience to be at camp and listen to various conversations as they speculated. The Stake cabin and our ward's cabin were close to each other so I was able to visit my ward often. How grateful I was for this. It gave me a chance to get to know some of the girls. While I was at camp, I had a pretty powerful witness that this wasn't just coincidence. This was further reinforced when my husband told me that my  first counselor shared with my him that a few weeks before camp she had the thought that the new YW president would be able to be at camp but not as a current leader. She didn't know it was me who was the new president at that time and really wasn't sure what this meant.

I am grateful for the Lord's plan in my life at this time. I know that serving as YW president is what the Lord wants for me and he saw a way to prepare me for this. Most days I waffle between feeling extremely overwhelmed and inadequate but I have great counselors, good YW, the Lord is in charge. I pray I'll be able to know his will. I am thrilled to be able to have a calling where I get to associate with my girls. We are all looking forward to camp next year. I'm sure next year will still be laden with responsibility, just different and hopefully just as fun.

Trying Something New

This Spring Bud Boy played T-ball. He really enjoyed it. He learned lots. It was so neat to see him go from knowing nothing about baseball to where he could bat the ball while the coach pitched to him. His favorite thing was to catch ground balls. He was thrilled to give Dad a mitt for Father's Day and they spent a lot of time out throwing grounders.

Baseball wasn't the only thing these two have spent time practicing together.

We let him practice on an old, beat up bike that could handle a few falls. This weekend he was pretty excited to be good enough to take the training wheels off his cars bike.

Now Bud Boy is learning all about soccer. This age is fun to watch. They spend the first 20 minutes of the game practicing and then have a 20 minute game playing 4 against 4. Bud Boy loves to get a GOOD running start before he kicks the ball. One time it was his turn to kick off the game and he had backed up almost to the goal post.

Bud Boy also HATES to have the other team score. At this age they don't really have a goalie; in fact they aren't allowed to touch the ball at all. Bud Boy has unofficially taken on himself to be the goalie. He spends a lot of the game running back to protect the goal.

love his determination!

Labor Day

We were so busy this summer that we haven't made it up to our land once since we towed up the trailer. Hard to believe. We figured this would be a great way to spend Labor Day. You know, one last summer vacation.

After packing up, driving out of our neighborhood, remembering we had forgotten the helmets for the four wheeler, returning home, getting the helmets, driving up to our land, we reached our gate. Dad then said, "Oh no, I forgot the keys" (we won't mentioned that his wife had asked him as we were leaving if he had the keys-meaning the trailer and he immediately responded in the affirmative, thinking she was asking about the suburban keys).

Luckily, we were able to get permission from our neighbors to drive through their land and access our land through the back-way. After figuring out a way into the trailer we discovered the usually filled water tank was empty. We have water on our land but without the keys there's no way to turn it on. With 6 girls in a family having no water to run the toilet is a big issue. By this point the neighbors to the south of us just happened to come up to introduce themselves. They had an extra long hose and were willing to let us use their water to fill up our tanks.

We were so grateful to have nice neighbors so we could save ourselves a long drive back home with some very disappointed kids. Instead we were able to spend the  evening roasting marshmallows, as Tator wanted to do. Enjoyed listening to Princess jabber away to her brother about the fire.

And a little four wheeling the next day

Princess loved riding and would bring her helmet to dad whenever she heard it start up

Yuba

We were thrilled  to be invited to spend a day at the lake with some dear family friends. The day started out a little chilly and windy and we wondered if we would be able to get out on the lake with their boat. That didn't stop the kids from getting in the water.

She loved the water

We had brought some tubes that we all enjoyed playing with.

Eventually things warmed up and they were able to take the boat out. Jolly J tried knee boarding. Bud Boy loved riding in the boat and being the official flag person.

Tator just loved being in the water as much as possible.

Most of us each took a turn riding on the tube.

We also jumped off some cliffs. 

Minnie was pretty surprised that mom was going to go jump. Too many years of being pregnant or having small babies I guess so her adventurous side isn't known. Karebear, on the other hand, was pretty hesitant to jump. She finally did at the same time as mom. Her response was "some things you muster of the courage, do it and are grateful. That was not one of them."













As we all couldn't fit on the boat at the same time we enjoyed playing in the sand and visiting.

When did they get so grown-up?