lovely night

new owl for my tree

I was cleaning today and found a pretty white box, with a sparkly silver bow and a note.  It was from one of our friends who came to the party last week.  They left it there for us to find.  Inside was this cute white sparkly owl for our tree.  Such a fun surprise!

so fun!

Grace's favorite day, tonight the sky was amazing! It started in the evening when she rode and when we took the dogs out just before bed the backyard was illuminated by just the light of the moon.  So pretty!

Hannah auditioned for Little Women to today, I really hope she gets a part.  She's getting to be a nice singer! I want to sign her up for voice lessons, I think she can be really good.

For FHE we worked on Grace's swaps and watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.

Sunday

Ho Ho Ho

We had plans to go to see the temple lights and attend the Jenny Oaks Baker concert at the visitors center on Sunday night. Plans is the operative word, they didn't come to fruition.

Saturday night after our friends left, the dogs I headed out, in the rain, to walk to the Buxtons to pick up Hannah.  It was chilly and my feet got wet because I chose my footwear poorly but it was really only drizzling so that was okay.  She and I walked back together and it was really pretty, cold and dark but lots of folks had their Christmas lights on and they were extra sparkly in the misty night.  Hannah is always chatty at night and had lots of say about the party and her life.  We got home and dried off and went to bed.  Unfortunately I didn't sleep well, which is pretty atypical.  My back was hurting and I think more than the actual pain it was causing distress because I didn't want to start down that road again.  It was a fitful, restless night.  In the morning I had to leave early for church because I was heading up to La Plata to do some training for a new ward presidency.  I made sure the littlest two had their clothes ironed and were showered before I left and then Rob had the reins.  Anyway I took ibuprofen and got up and moving and felt better, and still feel fine.  I am really grateful about that.  Gratitude aside I was still tired.  Training went well and I was able to attend WP1's sacrament meeting before and to visit a bit with Becky and Jocelyn after.

Meanwhile back at the home ward the children sang in Sacrament meeting and Hannah fixed Grace's hair really pretty.  Both cars got home about the same time and we ate lunch together, let the dogs out, and then settled into our afternoon.  Grace has swaps to make for her brownie party tomorrow night so she and I started working on them.  We also turned on the Sound of Music.  Hannah and dad joined us in the living room and Ethan disappeared to the basement.  Dad fell asleep on the couch, he was tired.  Our plan was to eat dinner early, head to tithing settlement and from there drive up to DC.
I was tired and wanted to nap not make swaps.
Rob was tired.
We decided not to go.
The children were disappointed.

After tithing settlement we came home.  I made dinner and then put on my pajamas.  The kids all piled on my bed with me.  I had my book, which I finished and enjoyed "The Story Teller", it had twists all the way to the end, and was a good story which examined the nature of good and evil on many levels.  Thought provoking and entertaining.  I wish someone else has read it so we could talk about the ending, and if sometimes doing evil but not wanting to makes you less evil, and if someone good does something that is traditionally thought of as bad but for a good reason is it still wrong/sin….and most tragically if you ruin someone else's life while trying to absolve yourself of guilt, or with a sense of setting something right which is the greater evil?? Is telling a lie ever a selfless thing to do?

 Ethan had the lap top with sports on, Hannah had her lap top playing music and sang for us "Your Song" many times as she is auditioning for a part in the school musical today.  Grace had my phone and was watching youtube on it.  Ziva was on my pillow and Millie on the floor.  It was pretty funny actually.  R watched "Bride and Prejudice" downstairs.  The kids did some running back and forth from mom to dad and enjoyed a spumoni break in the middle.  Then we went to bed and while I was sad not to go to see the lights I was glad to be home.  

Birthday Girl

This little pumpkin is 21 years old today!  Wow! That went fast.  So, as per birthday tradition here is 21 things about my little pickle buns.

1. Jenna was the sweetest little baby.  When she was born the first thing every one said about her was woah! look at all that hair! Then they would comment on how tiny and sweet and perfect she was.  And they were right.

2. When J was little she knew her own mind.  My friend Nellie and I used to laugh that when she decided something that was it, there was no turning back.

3.  Nellie had a little boy who was two months older than Jenna.  His name is Chaz but we called him Chaz Moe.  Chaz Moe and J were good friends and he did everything she said :)  It wasn't until a couple years ago when we got his graduation announcement that she found out his name wasn't actually Chaz Moe, it was just Chaz.  She was surprised, and I laughed.

4. Jenna always makes me laugh.

5. She has a great sense of humor.

6. When Jenna was a  little girl she loved animals.  She loved dogs and kittens, cows and birds really all animals.  She wanted to grow up and be a rabbit eye doctor, a very narrow field :)

7.  J was a brownie scout for a short time, we went to 6 Flags with her brownie group and that was a lot of fun!

8.  Jenna has always had a strong testimony and a strong desire to do what is right.

9. When she was small, around 7 years old, we were at the church for a Wednesday night.  All of a sudden the sky turned green and hail started falling.  The Bishop told us to get in the bathroom and so we all piled in the girls bathroom.  Luckily I had brownies made so we ate those and tried to stay calm. There was a tornado and it passed right over us hitting down town Fort Worth and causing a lot of damage.  When it had passed we got in our cars and headed home, driving past fallen trees and broken fences.  We had power and our house was pretty much fine but the girls were scared (and so was their mother, but she was pretending otherwise).  I had the girls get ready for bed and J was upstairs in her room for awhile.  Soon she came down and told me "don't worry momma, I prayed and Heavenly Father told me we would be alright.".  She had such faith.

10. Jenna is adventurous.  Too much so sometimes.  A challenge is an invitation to her.

11. She works very hard at school, spending a lot of time studying and doing her work.

12. We moved to MD right before her junior year.  Although this was a very difficult move for her, and really would have been a huge challenge for anyone she didn't murmur and did her best to adjust. It took some time but she made friends and found things to like about Maryland.  I think she always considered herself a TX girl though.

13.  Venturing was a great thing in Jenna's life.  She learned so much about her own strength and ability and made friends that I know will last a lifetime.  She became an outdoors girl then.

14. One year the crew sold Christmas wreaths to earn money for their high adventure.  Jenna was the top sales girl!

15.  Jenna is a little mermaid, as at home in the water as  on land, which is surprising since she almost drowned when she was 3.

16. She is living my life long dream and is a cougar! Go BYU!!!

17.  She and Clayton set such a good example to her younger siblings by getting married in the temple. Their wedding was beautiful and perfect.

18. I am very happy to hear how happy they are.  That's what a mom wishes for.

19. J will be graduating this next summer! She sped through college!

20.  J spent a semester in Romania and has a real travel bug.  Someday I hope we can take an exciting trip somewhere together.

21.  Jenna is bright, creative, caring, hard working, funny, thoughtful, courageous, full of faith and love and excitement for life.  She is now and always has been a delight and a blessing to me.  Happy Birthday Jenna.

Ugly sweater

We had a fun and busy day.  This morning I took Grace to her brownie thing, while Ethan went to the Marsh's to play chess with Bro Marsh, and thus finish his chess merit badge.  Meanwhile R and H got up and going bright and early and went on a double daddy daughter date w/ the Zawadas to see the Hobbit.
Whew!
Then we spent the afternoon getting cleaned up and ready for our parties…Hannah went to Aubrey's surprised birthday party.  Gracie went to hang out with Arden and Ainsley, Ethan manned the basement and was joined by Jeffrey, and we had some friends over for minute to win it games, tasty treats and ugly sweaters.  I had a lot of fun! Tis and whirl wind season of festive celebration!

Brownie Christmas Sing a long!

ThIs morning we went to Sotterly plantation for our annual sing along. It was cold but so pretty out. Grace got to visit Santa, she told him she would like a horse. He said he had some extra reindeer but no horses. She bought some presents in the secret Santa shop for her grandparents. We had some hot chocolate and the girls sang some cute songs it was a nice morning.

Silent Christmas

Tonight was our Relief Society Christmas party. It was so nice. We got there and met in the cultural hall, which was beautifully decorated. We ate some yummy heavy appetizers and visited, then listened to a couple of Christmas stories. 

Eventually we wet invited into the chapel and asked not to talk or whisper. There we watched a lovely video about the meaning of Christmas, no talking just music and pictures and quotes. It was quite nice. 

Lastly we went back to the hall and there were gift boxes at each spot with papers set out saying "what is your gift to the Savior". Also under the tree were gifts for each of us and a cocoa bar and cake. We visited some more and then went home. 

This morning I went to scripture group. We usually finish at 11:00 but today when Amy said should we keep going we all agreed and read until 11:45. 

Nice day.

Tonight Hannah made funny elf videos and baby it's cold outside!

Dinner groups menu revisited

Last night we had the Elders and our (mostly Rob's but mine also) friends over for dinner and a discussion. I resurrected one of my old dinner groups menus that I thought went over well in TX and it went over well here too.  The cranberry chicken was moist and delicious, the cake got some ohs and ahs only this time there were no good looking grapes so I used blackberries for garnish and it looked even better.  I have thought about starting a dinner group here, it was really a lot of fun.  This lovely pedestal has since been broken, that was sad, I really liked it for serving cake.

So dinner went well and the discussion went fine, but something has been bothering me ever since.  I just can not comprehend this at all.  Our friends are good, devout Catholics.  We went with them to a meet the Catholics night a couple of weeks ago and had an interesting time then too.  We have several key differences in our doctrines and beliefs, as one would expect, and none of that bothered me.  What did really confuse me was when we were talking about where we go after this life is over and they said that they would become with God.  His intelligence would flow into theirs, in as much as they were prepared to receive, and then they would be fulfilled in His love.  They would forget their earth life and memories and relationships and, well I guess that's it.  I asked Lauren and Elise, mother and daughter, so you won't be mother and daughter any more? and they said no. They wouldn't need to have that relationship.  Hmm.  Hannah and I both were most surprised, we talked about it after while walking the dogs with Dad.  I knew that many other faiths teach that our relationships don't continue after this life but to hear them say it with comfortable confidence was frankly so strange.  I thought about it a lot throughout the night and came to this conclusion: what is the point?  Why marry, have children, build a family and have all that work and love and sorrow and hardship and joy just to forget it all and be alone forever?? And when we told them the good news that they were wrong and that they actually could be together forever, with God & their family, learning and growing and becoming like Him….well, they thought we were nuts.

There are many things I do not know.  I do not know at what point exactly the apostasy happened, I do not know why there were so many centuries of darkness, I don't know exactly how 1000 different things happen.  I don't even know how an airplane stays in the air (although Rob does).  I walk by faith on so many things, mostly in the dark sometimes, but that's okay because this is what I do know:  I know the light of Christ is real and that He will show us the way.  I know we have a living prophet today that speaks with the Lord and leads not only His church but the world, I know that by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel I will be with my family forever.  Rob will be my husband for eternity, my children will call me mom and that is what I will be, their mother, my grand children will know me and I will know them.  There is not a"that's it, the end" to our story because we get to continue.  I know the Book of Mormon is true.  I know God lives and loves us.  I am soooo grateful that I know.