On this day in 1955.....

the world was forever changed by the birth of a baby girl. I know that if she's reading this she's thinking "the world was forever changed?". But it was, because this baby girl grew up and touched many lives and even brought 5 new ones into the world.
Today is my mom's birthday. I never know what gift to give my mom, so today I'm going to give her the gift of Gratitude.

Dear Mom,

Thank you for...

• bringing me into this world.
  
• all the sleepless nights, diaper changes, and lullabies.
• always going to my never ending stream of soccer games, softball games, piano recitals, school plays, and choir concerts.
• keeping me fed and clothed and making me comb my hair.
• believing in me.
• making me work in the garden during the summer.
  
• finishing up my wedding plans while I was off gallivanting.
• being there when I had my first baby and staying up with him my first night home so I could get some much needed sleep.
• holding me while I cried.
• being such a wonderful grandmother to my children.
• your patience.
  
• trusting me.
• listening.
• the countless hours of free babysitting.
• showing me how to give service to others.
• encouraging me to set high standards for myself.
  
• your example of faith and your testimony.

If I were to truly list everything that you've done for me, I would be at this computer for days. I love you Mom! Happy Birthday!
Love,

Time to Give Thanks!

I've kind of held off on a Thanksgiving post, but since the big day is this week I thought I'd indulge.

Here is a very small portion of the many things we are thankful for this Thanksgiving:

• Our Home
• Having a job when so many don't
• my primary calling
• Wonderful family members who care about us and are always willing to help
• Good Friends
• Warm Pajamas
• Space Heaters
• Our movie collection
• Chocolate
• Our Faith
• Fruit Snacks(Lilly)
• Wii (Jonah)
• Mommy's wallet (Jayne--it's her favorite thing to chew on)
• M*A*S*H
• Diet Coke
• Free Haircuts
• Good Babysitters
• Hot Chocolate
• Health Insurance
• I'm grateful for Nate for way too many reasons to list
• Dishwashers
• Sweaters
• Our vehicles
• Flannel Sheets
• Sleep

I could go on and on and on and on. We are truly blessed with so much!

I'll leave you with a picture of my sweet Lilly wearing her Thanksgiving crown that she made in preschool today. Her teachers asked what she was thankful for and she responded, " I am thankful for my bed." Ah, she takes after her mother!

"Twilight".......I just don't get it

I honest to goodness do not understand the screaming, swooning, Edward vs. Jacob obsession of the Twilight series. Yes, I have read the books. When they first started coming out, I kept hearing how awesome they were and that I just had to read them. I really had no interest in it at all.

Then, about a year and a half ago, when all the books had come out my sister brought them all over to me and said I should read them. So I did, mostly out of curiosity. I really wanted to know what was so great that it had grown women doodling "Edward" on their grocery lists.

As soon as I started the books I was a bit annoyed with Stephanie Meyer's style of writing. I mostly skimmed the pages to catch the major dialogue and plot. I will admit, I find the story intriguing. I like the plot and I like the action mixed in with the romance. But in the end, I still didn't get it. I didn't feel any different. I wasn't passionate about it at all.

So then the first movie came out. Again...not really interested. I eventually ended up borrowing the DVD from my sister. I liked the movie alright. I hear the second one is much better and I do plan on seeing it....eventually. But I'll say it again....I just don't get it.

Nate has watched the first movie with me and he was constantly asking questions about all the vampires and about the rest of the story. So I thought maybe we'd read the second book together before we ever watched the second movie and then his questions would be answered.
So I borrowed the book from a friend and we started reading it last night. We didn't even make it through the first chapter! We just can't stand they way Stephanie Meyer writes. I guess his questions will just have to wait until we see the movie. After trying to read the book again, I've decided I like the movies better.

I was watching the news last night and they had a segment on the opening of "New Moon". They talked about a group of 30 and 40 somethings who had gotten together and had a huge party and then gone to the movie together. I think it's great that women have something like this that they bond over, but when you start asking your husband if you can call him 'Edward', as one woman on the program said she did(oh, and her husband let her. He must really love her.) then I think maybe the obsession has gone a little too far.

Anyway, in the midst of all this hype for the "New Moon" movie coming out, I just thought I'd share my thoughts on the matter. I understand that most of my wonderful friends will totally disagree with me, and that's okay. But as far as this whole Twilight phenomenon goes.....I just....don't....get it.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

I just realized that I forgot to mention that my fabulous new hair do is courtesy of my sweet, talented, generous, creative, amazing sister Rachel! Thank you Rachel! You did a great job as usual.

I fell off the wagon!

The "gonna grow my hair out" wagon, that is. Yes, I got my hair cut. I'm way too impulsive for my own good. I didn't just cut it......I colored it too! Yikes! So, here are some pictures of my not-so-blonde not-so-long hair. Let me know what you think.....honestly.
I'm still getting used to it and I'm a little on the fence on whether I like it or not.

My Voice is Heard Again!

I don't know if any of you remember, but a couple weeks ago my cell phone decided to mute me. Apparently it thought I wasn't worth listening to. So anyone who tried to call me couldn't hear me on the other end. I heard them just fine, but apparently I was in a silent movie and the subtitles just weren't texting through or something.

Anyhoo....I put off getting a new phone until the next payday for obvious reasons. Yesterday I decided it was time. So I headed to the AT&T store to see what they had. Nate and I haven't been under contract for almost a year, so I knew I should be able to get a pretty good deal if we renewed a 2 year contract. The salesman at the store was very polite. He showed me what they had. The cheapest thing, even with a new contract, was going to cost $80 in store and then I'd get a $50 rebate in the mail in 6-8 weeks. I told him I didn't have $80 to spend and instead of trying to pressure me into it, he told me that I could go to Walmart and buy an AT&T Go Phone, which is their pay as you go version, and just put my SIM card into it and I'd be good to go. So I headed over to Walmart.

Their cheapest Go Phone was $30. I was about to buy it when I noticed that they had an entire row of AT&T phones and two of them had prices of $0 with a new or renewed contract. So I asked the sales lady if that was the in store price or if there was a rebate involved. She said that was the in store price. All we had to do was renew our 2 year contract, keep the same plan, pay an upgrade fee of $18 and we could each get a new phone for free! Yippee!

They had two different phones shown as free. One was red, but looks reddish pink, and one was blue and black. Nate of course wanted the blue and black because he wouldn't be caught dead with a "pink" phone. It's really more red than pink, but whatever. They were all out of that model. So he chose a Motorola phone that was $18 with the new contract. So, my phone ended up costing $18(the upgrade fee) and Nate's was $36 including the upgrade fee. Not too bad. They're much nicer phones than the prepaid one that was $30 and we really don't mind signing a new contract.

Now I've just got to figure out how to use the thing. It's not that it's super fancy or anything. It's actually pretty basic. It's just that I'm not so good with technology. I think I've figured out how to make calls and send texts and that's about all I ever use. A whole big instruction book came with the phone that tells me that I can download all my music onto it and use it as a radio, and a whole bunch of other nifty stuff, but I highly doubt I'll ever do any of it. I like things simple. Simple is good.

So, to sum up...got a new phone...people can hear me now...Nate got a new phone too.....it didn't cost an arm and a leg...I can live with that.

Our Primary Program

We had our primary program yesterday. For those of you who don't know, I serve in our primary presidency. The theme for this year was "My Eternal Family."

We had a practice on Saturday. It was kind of chaotic and irreverent, as kids usually are on Saturdays. The rehearsal went long and I was worried that the program would too. When I arrived at church Sunday morning it was a little chaotic in the chapel trying to help all the primary kids find their seats on the stand and trying to remind them to be reverent etc. We have a rather rowdy primary, so reverence is almost always an issue. But for some reason, they all sat quietly and none of them got up to go to the bathroom or get a drink.

I sat on the stand with the kids during the program. They all said their parts so well with no goofing around or mumbling or yelling into the microphone. They sang the songs beautifully. I don't think I've ever done or seen a primary program where the kids sang all the verses for all the songs, but ours did! I was so proud of them.

As I was sitting there on the stand and the kids were singing "The Family is of God" I started to get a little teary eyed. For some reason, hearing their sweet little voices sing the chorus of that song, "God gave us families to help us become what he wants us to be. This is how He shares His love. For the family is of God", touches my heart so deeply. Maybe it's because I've gotten to know these kids and I've seen the hardships that they endure at such tender ages. I've seen them hurt and I've seen them grow, and they always show such amazing faith. Many of them have "broken" families. Some have abusive family members. But whenever we talk about families being together forever, they all have strong testimonies and faith that they can be with their families forever.

There is one boy whose parents recently divorced. I was teaching a sharing time on eternal families and the temple and felt impressed to talk about divorced families. I shared my own experience of having divorced parents and of wondering what would happen to my family. I told them that even if their parents or members of their family have made choices leading them away from the church, they can choose to live worthy and go to the temple and that our Heavenly Father would bless them with an eternal family.
After the lesson, this young boy came up to me and put his arm around me and said,
"My parents are divorced too."
"I know", I said. "It's hard huh?"
"Yeah. But I'm gonna do what you said. I'm going to go to the temple and be with my family forever."
His faith was so pure and I was so grateful that I'd followed my prompting to talk about divorce. I think that all too often everything that is taught is all sunshine and skittles, but these kids' lives aren't always like that.

I'm grateful for my calling in primary. I'll admit, I really didn't want it at first. But I've been so blessed to serve these children and to get to know them. They teach me so much.

I love you Parkside Primary!

Midnight Picnic

I was sleeping soundly last night when I was awakened by a nudge from my husband. It's the "one of the kids needs us" nudge that is all too familiar. I listen for a moment as he gets out of bed and starts up the stairs. It's Lilly. She's crying. Not your "I'm afraid of the dark" cry or your "I need a hug" cry. It's one of those "get in here right now because either I wet the bed or I'm scared to death!" kind of cries.

As I stumble through the kitchen, I glance at the clock. The numbers 3:30am are glowing at me all too brightly. Nate got to her first. When I got to her room, he was holding her(yay! that means she didn't wet the bed) and she was crying that she wanted her mommy. So I come in and ask her what's wrong. In the saddest little voice I've ever heard she said....."I want to go on a picnic!" We reminded her that it was the middle of the night and we couldn't go on a picnic. We took her to the bathroom and then tucked her back in. I had to chuckle as I went back down the stairs to bed. The things my kids wake me up for.......makes me laugh......even at 3:30am.

Sweater Weather...is Anything Better?

Oh my sweaters, how I love thee!

I'm so sorry that I had to pack you up for so many months, but you're free now!
Free to envelop me in your cozy warmth.
Free to look fabulous!
Free to make me want to drink hot chocolate and stare into a glowing fire.
Free to fend off the chill of a brisk fall day.
How I look forward to wearing you for the next few months before our love affair is put on hold by the harsh heat of summer!
Oh my sweaters, how I love thee!

Halloween weekend with the Barnums

What a fun and crazy busy weekend we had! On Friday, Nate's parents and sister Emily drove up from Las Vegas to visit us for the weekend. They stayed at a hotel in Draper so on Friday night, the kids and I met them at their hotel room for a visit. Grandma Barnum had brought the kids some fun Halloween surprises! They took turns hiding each others' goodies around the room and then looking for them. Jayne didn't wait for anyone to hide hers. That smart little cookie just went straight to the drawer that she saw Grandma pull Jonah and Lilly's out of and there it was!

Here's a shot of Jayne enjoying some goldfish crackers with Grandpa.

Then on Saturday, the Barnums treated us all to a yummy lunch at Sizzler. After lunch they came over for some pumpkin carving. Jonah and Lilly and Emily each designed a pumpkin and then we carved out the faces.

Here's Lilly in her Halloween shirt and Halloween bow

Jonah had a great time pulling the seeds out of his pumpkin. Can't you tell?

Here's Nate at work gutting a pumpkin. He even did some of the 'carving' with his drimmel, which made a bit of a pumpkin gut mess in the kitchen. =)

Jonah and Emily and Lilly with the finished product

After the pumpkin carving, we fed the kids some dinner and got all dressed up for trick or treating. Jonah was a dinosaur, Lilly was a princess, and Jayne was a ladybug fairy. A big THANK YOU to Grandma Lolly and Aunt Rachel for providing the costumes this year.

Here's princess Lilly yelling for the camera. Once the kids got their costumes on, there was no getting them to stand still and smile pretty. They were rarin' to go!

Pretty Jayne~

Here's Jonah giving his best dinosaur "Roarrrrrr!" He was so funny because he thought his costume was going to "scare everyone's eyeballs out", but really he was just so cute. That's our little secret, okay? If he asks, he was really scary.

Grandma Barnum, Emily, and I took the kids trick or treating. This is the first year that we've gone to more than one or two houses. We usually just go to a trunk or treat, but we didn't have one this year. It was lots of fun to walk with the kids and visit with some of the neighbors.
Jonah and Lilly had a blast! If a house was dark, Jonah would say that it was 'closed' and we should look for then next 'open' house. We ended up going a lot further than I had originally intended, but the weather was nice and the kids were having so much fun that I didn't mind.
After we got back to the house, we gave loves and kisses to Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Emily and headed to bed. The kids were exhausted and slept great!

Jonah and Lilly in their new PJ's that Grandma Barnum made for them.

The Barnums came to church with us on Sunday and then went back to their hotel to relax. It was such a fun weekend, but all too short. We love you Grandma, Grandpa, and Emily! Thanks for coming to visit us!