More reverence give me!

My last post revealed some of my personal New Year's resolutions, now I'll discuss our big FAMILY resolution, which is to be more reverent at church. For those of you in my ward, let me just apologize now for all the years of having to endure our circus. I've been feeling especially motivated lately to step up our reverence after sitting behind the most amazing family the last few months. This family has 6 kids, ages 15 to 4 - they all sit perfectly still for 1 hour 10 minutes and they don't even bring a church bag! I feel like I bring LUGGAGE to church!


So, in my quest to increase our reverence I decided to stop bringing a church bag (my kids just spend the whole sacrament meeting fighting over the stuff in the bag anyway) and just bring a "church pouch." I made this pouch based on an idea my friend Christianne gave me last year. It is super easy to sew, seriously the hardest part was sewing on the button!

This Sunday I'm going to try the "church pouch" and see how it goes. Do any of you still bring a bag to church (my youngest is 4)? Or, do you have any reverence tips?

"What manner of men ought ye to be?"

As my children have grown older and, consequently, began spending more time at school, I've found myself with more spare time than ever. Slowly, I feel I've started to redefine myself and what fills my time. I wasn't so sure I liked the direction I was taking though . . . I found myself bored and killing time in malls trying to "fill the time." But, at the end of the day I felt like I wasted my day. Why was I feeling so unsatisfied? The scripture "What manner of men ought ye to be?" 3 Nephi 27:27 kept coming to mind.

Last month, I was released from the Stake Primary Presidency. This ended 7 awesome years of primary, or so I thought. I was soon called as the Primary Music Leader. Many of you know - I CAN'T SING. Consequently, this calling now fills a lot of my spare time. What a blessing! I spend hours each week teaching myself the songs (not the words per se, but the NOTES!) Our piano and I have become good friends as I work on my pitch (I can only imagine what Simon Cowell would say about me!) I've also spent a lot of time on my knees, praying for help with this new calling. So far, the experience has been so enriching to me. I feel more fulfilled.

I've also been working lately on my homemaking skills. I've been sewing more and trying new recipes. I've also been preparing some of my oldies, but goodies. Here's a picture of Adam helping me make our favorite chocolate chip cookies (it's the recipe from the Crisco butter-flavored cubes container). I'm sure Adam's thinking, "when are these cookies going to be done!?!?!"

Today, I went skiing while the kids were at school (and Adam was at a friend's house). It felt so good to be exercising and the mountain was breathtaking. And, tonight I'm attending a Japanese cooking class. Ally is obsessed with all things Japanese right now and I thought it'd be a great surprise to her if I made our family a Japanese meal (other than just sushi, which is the only Japanese food I know how to make!)

I'm feeling better lately with how I'm spending my time. I would also love to fill in the gaps with more service, family history, and temple attendance. But, for now I feel like I'm making strides by being more conscious about how I spend my time and trying to ponder more what type of woman I ought to be.

My First Quilt

I've been dying to write this post, but wanted to wait until after Christmas because I didn't want to ruin the surprise.

I finally made my first quilt! I made it for Nicholas with a Boston Red Sox theme (his favorite team) for Christmas. He was actually excited when he opened it (I was worried he'd think it was a lame blanket instead of a cool lego set). I have to admit, though, Nicholas is a sweet, sweet boy and wouldn't do anything to hurt my feelings so it's likely he actually does think it's a lame blanket instead of a cool lego set. :-)

The whole process was so fun. I can't believe how satisfying creating something from scratch can be. I can definitely see quilting as a future hobby! This whole project, however, would not have been possible without the help of good friends. Thank you Kariann, Andrea, and Andrea's mom for all your help!

Turkey Time 2008

I feel very blessed that the majority of both Andrew and I's families are in one area. And, those that don't live in the area usually come "home" for Thanksgiving so we get to see as many family members as possible. We're also fortunate that most of our close friends whom we grew up with usually come home for Thanksgiving too. So, that's how we usually spend Thanksgiving each year - spending time with those we love. We tend to pack in as much as we can over a 4-day period. This year was no different.

Thanksgiving morning we usually do the "Turkey Trot" - a 5k fun run along the Columbia River. This year, however, they raised the entrance fee to $20 per person. Yes, that would be $120 for our family! So, we made up our own "Turkey Trot" with funny games and contests like who can run backwards the fastest, who can run and whistle, etc. We also got a spirited game of "follow the leader" going. We just did it around my grandparents' neighborhood. I'm sure we looked a little silly (did I mention half of us were still in our PJs!?!), but we had a blast.

Next, we had 2 amazing meals - one at each side of the family (technically, we only had room for dessert at the second stop!) It was funny because one side was casual and the other was a more formal affair with china and crystal. Both were wonderful, although I was a bit nervous with Adam sipping sparkling cider out of an expensive crystal goblet. I just knew at any moment that glass was going to turn into a light saber. But, luckily we made it through without any broken dishes.

Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving were filled with shopping, movies, sleep overs with cousins, and a trip to the temple for Andrew and I. I had been working on some family history for Andrew's side of the family the week before Thanksgiving, so we could take the names to the temple. We were able to get work done for Andrew's grandparents. During the sealing, I was reminded again just how much I love my husband. :-)

Sunday found us at church at my home ward, which I love to visit. It always touches my heart to see my old Young Women's leaders, who now have gray hair but the same warm smiles. These were the women who were first on the scene after my mom died and their kindness during that difficult time will forever stay with me.

Last, we had one final grand meal. My grandma put on one more turkey dinner Sunday afternoon so we'd be loaded up with leftover turkey for the coming week. Have I mentioned before how amazing my grandma is????

Well, that's the Thanksgiving summary. I'm counting down now until Christmas, which will be a much smaller, quieter affair.

My Grandma, my cousin, and Baby Angelo (my cousin and her husband lived in Italy for several years; hence, the Italian name)

Me and My cousin. We were like sisters growing up and were "maids of honor" at each other's weddings.

My aunt and Natalie. This is my mom's sister and looks a lot like her except my mom had blonde hair.

Grandpa and Adam after a long day, both were almost asleep when I took this picture.

"AN UNNORMAL AMERICAN"

Yesterday, I was reading an article in the newspaper about the Mormon Church and California's Proposition 8. The article explored why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the target of angry Prop. 8 opposers instead of other churches who, like the Mormons, supported the constitutional amendment. One sociologist reasoned that Mormons were easy targets because they're still seen as kind of "weird' and not "normal Americans." Hmmmm . . . let's see, here's a small glimpse into my life, you decide how "weird" or how much of an "unnormal American" I am.

I spend my day cooking, cleaning, chauffeuring, mentoring, cheerleading, and kissing boo-boos. I even throw in a little "law-making" when time permits, upholding the oath I took as an attorney 11 years ago to uphold the laws of my country. I attend church on Sunday and hang my American flag on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Veteran's Day. I'm the daughter of a Vietnam vet and the granddaughter of a World War II vet. I love a good deal, whether it's at Nordstrom or Walmart. After a tough day, I hit a carton of ice cream. And, after a great day I hit a carton of ice cream. I'm most comfy in a pair of jeans and a soft cotton t-shirt. My family loves baseball, apple pie, and I even drive a Chevrolet! So, please tell me am I weird or an unnormal American? Hopefully we can press forward and change these crazy stereo types.

Why I Love Fall . . .

I love autumn, and I'm blessed to live in a region that has spectacular fall foliage displays. This past month has been the most beautiful ever. Every day was filled with blue skies, temperatures in the 50s, and delightful color all around. I feel such gratitude to my Heavenly Father for blessing us with such a marvelous time of year. Here's some pictures of our family's fall follies.

Taking a train ride near the Canadian border.

Little pumpkins.

Big kisses.

Funny friends! (and, yes, we spent a WHOLE day raking these leaves at our lake house!)

We also had a little fun while raking.

Go Nick!!! We attended many soccer games this fall, but we were warm and cozy with the nice weather.

Primary Program Day!


And last but not least . . . Halloween

Our Ally Cat

Last week Ally turned 11. Is it really possible that I've actually been a mother for 11 years? Is it really possible that I only have 7 more years with this amazing girl in our home?

Heavenly Father has blessed Ally with talents that will allow her to either change the world or marry someone who will! She's smart, driven, and desires to serve. She spends 4 days a week for 3 1/2 hours a day at the gym, striving to be the best gymnast she can be. She gets up early to be a crossing guard at school because, as she tells me, she wants to make sure her friends make it safely to school. Ally has served on the ASB at her school for the last 2 years. And, she recently told me she can't wait to turn 12 so she can be "Beehive President." Holy Cow - I don't think I even knew what a beehive was when I was 11, let alone that there was a president.

Ally is also very maternal. When asked what she wants to be when she grows up she always says, "a mother and a teacher." Ally is blessed with many future homemaking talents. She loves to cook, sew, and scrapbook. She's not so hot on cleaning, but we're working on that! :-) Ally also loves music, playing both the piano and viola this year.

But, my very favorite characteristic of Ally is that she is forgiving. Being the oldest, she's had to endure many of my parenting mistakes and yet she loves me anyway. A matter of fact, she recently wrote me a letter just to let me know when she's a teenager she will still allow me to hug her in public. You can bet I'll be keeping that letter for future use!

Thank you Ally for being the wonderful girl you are and I thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me to be your mom.

It's Finally Adam's Turn

After waiting for a whole month, watching his brother and sisters put on their backpacks and head out the door, Adam finally got his turn to be the one "going back to school." This is Adam's last year of preschool. And, my last year of having a preschooler. I say this with a sad tone. Older mothers always warned me it would go by too fast . . . I guess I never believed them, but I believe them now.


Anyway, Adam marched right in to his favorite thing in the WHOLE room - the fish tank. He loves watching those fish.

Here's a picture of Adam with his buddy Alec in their, unplanned, matching-green shirts on the first day of school. Adam is so blessed to have several great friends who live nearby. I'm so thankful Adam will have such great boys to grow up with!

BTS

Back to School! I'm a little late on this post, but our 3 oldest went back to school on September 2. I'm so exited for this year. I love their school and all of their teachers. Not to mention the fact that I've passed the baton this year to a new PTG president, so this year I can relax a little more and just enjoy being a parent. Here are some pictures of the big day:

And what will I do with my time now that the 3 oldest are gone all day???? Spend the day with this cute little guy, of course. :-)

The Cabin

Some of you may have caught my subtle comment in my last post that we probably wouldn't be making our annual trip to Priest Lake anymore. Well, the reason for this change is that we'll now be staying in our OWN cabin (which is on a different lake). YIPPEE!!! We've been looking for a lake place for almost 3 years now. And, finally we've found the perfect cabin for our family. I've waited to blog about it though until we closed - I didn't want to jinx it. :-) But, we closed last Friday and we just got back from our first vacation at the cabin. Here's some pictures of our new "family spot."

A Fun, But Cold Week at the Lake

Last week we made our annual trip up to Priest Lake. As always it was breathtaking! It seems every one of our prayers last week included the phrase, "thank you for the beauty around us." The whole week was perfect, except for the weather. Each year our family spends the last week of July in Priest Lake and we've never so much as needed a sweatshirt. This year we could have used our winter coats! One morning we woke up to 55 degrees and raining. Nevertheless, we made the most of it and discovered the Priest Lake Museum, the Priest Lake Library, and Priest Lake Elementary (where we played on the playground toys). We also did other warm activities like hiking and picking huckleberries.

We were able, however, to spend one day out on the boat we rented. I've discovered a new passion - water skiing. I really, REALLY stink but am obsessed with getting better. Here's a picture of me with, yes, a wet suit on in July! Luckily Andrew, Natalie and Adam are also excited about water skiing so a sport that interests 4 out of 6 isn't bad! (But, just give me time I'll have those other 2 on board soon!)

Speaking of sports, we also went golfing in Priest Lake. Seeing my kids carrying their little, tiny golf clubs was so adorable.

I'll conclude with some miscellaneous pictures of our week. I will note though that this week was a little bitter sweet because our family loves this lake so much, but it will probably be the last time we stay at Priest Lake. More details to follow . . . .

The Temple Trip

Last week we took the kids down to Twin Falls, Idaho to go through the newly-constructed temple there. Andrew had to be in Southern Idaho for work, so it worked out perfectly for us to join him and take advantage of the opportunity to take our children through the temple. Ally and Nicholas went through the Columbia River Temple when they were younger, but neither can remember. This time they were SO excited. In fact, about three weeks before our trip we put a picture of the Twin Falls Temple on our refrigerator. The kids then made a countdown chart to go below it. They were thrilled when we finally got down to "0 days"!

The temple was gorgeous. But, more importantly, the way our family felt inside the temple, all together, was beyond description. It was well worth all the gas money, potty breaks, and fights I had to referee to make the drive. :-)

Also, during our trip we visited the Boise Zoo, the Discovery Center, a fun park, a cute home decor store, a candy factory owned by the relatives of a family in our ward, and Shoshone Falls, located just outside Twin Falls. Did you know Shoshone Falls are 50 feet higher than Niagara Falls??? They were amazing.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to take this trip with my family and for the blessing of eternal families. I hope to be blessed again in the future to be in the temple with my wonderful husband AND our four children.

Here's some more pictures of our trip:

The Reunion

Last week I went back home for my high school reunion.

At first Andrew had planned on coming with me, but after talking to a couple friends and discovering they weren't bringing their husbands Andrew had a quick change of heart (I attended his reunion a couple summers ago and I'm fully aware the spouse can sometimes get a little, tiny bit bored at these things!) Anyway, as soon as I arrived in town I headed over to my BFF's house - I recently was reading through my high school yearbook and, yes, we used that term back then!

Candy and I met in middle school (she had just moved to the Tri-cities) and instantly became friends. We were friends all through middle school, high school, and even went away to college together.

My favorite high school memories with her are cruisin' the main street, blaring Def Leppard and Aerosmith (I promise we weren't rocker chicks), skiing and attending sporting events. Her boyfriend played baseball and mine played basketball, so we'd go to the games together to keep each other company.

We live across the state from each other now, but it's great to have a hometown in the middle where we can meet.

By the way, the reunion went great. It was so fun to see old friends and see how much they've changed. I'm looking forward to the next one!

The Boat Experience by Ally

On June 21 my family went boating with the Hainsworths. We were on the boat when we hit this tree growing from the bottom of the lake. The lake had a small island in the middle that was hard to see. The tree branch made a large hole in the bottom of the boat. Water started coming into the boat. Soon the back of the boat was full of water. We were all rushing into the front, well except Adam. He was just sitting in the back of the boat not knowing what was happening happy as can be. Finally, he went to the front. My mom led us in a prayer. I felt a warm feeling inside that we were going to be O.K. Brother Hainsworth raced us back to the dock and he was able to pull the boat out before it sank. We all made it safely out and then my family and I said a thank you prayer. I am so thankful that I can pray to Heavenly Father whenever I need help.

Here's a picture of the inside of the boat after most of the water drained out.

School on Wheels

Here's a recent idea I had.

Are any of you like me and spending A LOT of time in your car? Even using Dallin H. Oaks' "Good, Better, Best" guide, I still spend a lot of time running around doing the things our family has deemed "Best" activities (school, cub scouts, activity days, piano lessons). At $125 a week (that's my weekly gas bill now!), I felt prompted to start spending that car time a lot more wisely. Thus, I came up with "school on wheels." I purchased several different levels of flashcards (to accommodate the different math skills of my 4 children), I checked out from the library Spanish CDs, and printed off spelling words. All these things fit nicely inside the center console next to the driver's seat. Now, whenever we head out I can just grab one of our little tasks and not feel so guilty about all that time, and money, we're spending on the road.