Annie!

It's fun watching my kids in shows.  It just is.  Here is Mark as FDR:

One thing I also love about my kids in shows is feeling the love from people that come to watch.  My parents and grandma came on Thursday, Geri's been here since Friday, and Saturday afternoon Robert came.  It was lots of fun to sit and talk with Robert after.  At some point over the years I think he crossed from brother-in-law to brother.

I like going to every performance but ended up with a migraine on Saturday night and a terrible neck pain that makes me extremely happy that I have a chiropractic appointment today.  So I didn't go Saturday night.

I love drama kids in general and I am grateful for the associations my kids have had with them.  In Washington, I knew most of the kids pretty well because I was so involved with the drama booster club.  I miss that involvement, but it did kind of take over my life so this isn't terrible either.

I asked Braeden to take a picture for me of Mark and his friends, after the show.

Braeden delivered:

Jensen (who shaved his head to be Daddy Warbucks!) and Rachel and Mark

Same group but with the addition of Gage.

Josie, Mark and Gene

Andrew, who played Sandy (on a tricycle, it was cute!)

Savannah, who was Eleanor Roosevelt and valiantly put her back into pushing Mark across the stage and Allesandro who took Mark's dare to eat jalapeños after one show and took Mark's dare to drink Tabasco after another show.  I'm amazed he is still friends with Mark.

Friends who came to watch the show:  Brandon and Kaden

Grateful Friday

Yesterday I just walked around all morning with a smile on my face and a spring in my step.  I realized it was because I was getting my girl back.

After volunteering, I headed straight to Emma's dorm.  Braeden and his roommate Ben were there waiting for us so they could help carry boxes.  We filled the van and Emma hugged her friends good-bye (except her roommate, Vanessa, who lives in Pleasant Grove...that good-bye was more of a "see ya").

Emma inherited a beta fish from her friend Bella who lives in Texas.  I may have said something about pouring the fish out before we left which caused Emma to be scandalized.  I said, "It's going to die anyway."

Emma said, "Well not yet!"

There's a reason we're not pet people and that reason is me.  (And Adam)

Bella had named the fish Bruiser but we quickly switched the name to Brucie and spoke to him in encouraging tones as we traversed the terrible roads in Pleasant Grove.  "Hang in there, Brucie!" as water sloshed on Emma's hands.

We got home and had Mark help unload boxes. (brothers!  a great invention!)  We just had everything somewhat sorted when my parents and grandma came.  I was so happy to see them.

We visited awhile then took Mark to get ready for his opening night, Emma went to work, and the four of us went to dinner at Chubby's.  I love the scones there even though they are probably only making me more like the name.

Adam joined us in the nick of time.  (Emma had enlisted Adam's help in stopping at the store to pick up a fish net on his way home from work.)

Braeden and his date, Lia, joined us too.

We enjoyed Annie and look forward to more performances (where I will try to sit closer and take pictures).

The girl who played Annie wore a wig so that her hair would somewhat resemble Mark's.  Too bad that kid isn't a much smaller girl....

(Not really, I like him Mark-sized and all boy.)

After the show, I watched Lia put on lipstick and then as we walked into the lobby to greet Mark, Braeden said, "OK, here we go, the moment of truth."

Then Lia (who knows Mark pretty well) hugged him and kissed his cheek and then Mark had a lipstick mark on his face and Braeden and Lia thought that was hilarious and Mark didn't seem to mind in the least.

I don't know about these kids, but that is usually the case.

When we got home, Emma was home from work and it is a delight to have her home.  Brucie's water was dark and nasty so Emma googled how to change water in a fish bowl and carefully followed the directions.  She was scared to hurt Brucie with the net and was just holding it there so he would decide to swim into it.  I told her she had to scoop but she was worried about "stressing" him.

I grabbed the net and scooped the fish and dumped him into the fresh water.  Emma carefully cleaned the dirty bowl and rinsed the rocks and fake plant and I couldn't help but realize with dejection that we have a pet.  I had to scoop him back into the clean bowl, due to Emma's timidity.

Who knows, maybe I'll start to feel affection for the little guy?

Emma joined us for scriptures and prayer before bed and that, my friends, is a wonderful thing.

Braeden and Geri and Ben (the roommate) come today.

And all of that makes me grateful this Friday morning!

Fun with 1st graders

One little girl read the word hem and said, "Well, now, that's a nonsense word."

I said, "No, it's a real word."

She looked extremely skeptical.

So I showed her the hem of my skirt.  She tilted her head to the side in amazement.

Then she read curb.  "Do you know what that is?" I asked.

"No."

I drew a picture of a street and sidewalks and curbs.  She said, "Oh, I know what those are!"

"Do you have them in your neighborhood?" I asked.

"Everyone has them in their neighborhood," she said with disdain.  Which made me think she's never been to rural Nevada.

She read the word expert (we were working with r controlled vowels).  I asked her if she knew what an expert was.

"Is it like someone who goes to the hospital and they go around and take care of people and then they take care of more people and more people and more people and then they say, I'm an expert at taking care of the human body!"  She gave a fist pump.

"That is what it means," I said.

*

**

I was listening to a girl read to me.  She read Ann instead of Anna so I corrected her.  She looked at me for a second then she said, "My teacher said that if I can't pronounce Anna, I can say it Ann."

"OK," I said.  I didn't point out that she had just pronounced Anna.

*

**

A new student was enamored with Braeden's old notebook.  "Who did that?!?"  I explained that it was my son's old notebook, etc. etc.

She opened her brown eyes wide and asked, "Did he get in trouble?  Were you mad at him for doing that?"

I told her no and I could tell she was disappointed.

*

**

When I first get there and the classes are coming back from lunch.  Some of the students cross their fingers hopefully and point to themselves meaningfully, like they are desperate for me to pick them to work with.  It doesn't matter how many times I tell them that their teachers select who I work with.

I've never been so popular, even if it's only because I have a notebook Braeden colored.

Tomorrow!

It's opening night

Tomorrow

Bet your bottom dollar

That tomorrow

The show will open

Just thinkin' about 

Tomorrow 

Clears away the cobwebs, 

And the sorrow 

'Til there's none

Mark donned his show t-shirt this morning which has hair that mimics his current tower of curls.  I said, "Let me take a picture."

And this is what I got:

Drama kids, am I right?

Costco

I picked Mark up from rehearsal and since he knew we were headed to Costco, he immediately started telling me he was famished.

"I know," I said. "You can get a hot dog."

"Oh, Mama..." he said like I had just told him I'd donate an organ to him.

We had to swing by Braeden's on the way (don't ask) so Mark was good and hungry by the time we got to Costco.  He retrieved a cart for me and I handed him some cash and it looked like I was buying the cart from him.

"Come and find me," I said, as he headed to the food court.

I started filling my cart.  We don't buy too much at Costco these days with our diminished family size but this was a different sort of day.  We are not only getting our college kids home this week, but Geri is coming to visit and some extra boys--friends of Braeden's--are coming to stay too.  I don't know how many boys or for how long (don't ask), but I do know we need FOOD.

Mark joined up with me and I think he recognized a bull market.  Buy! Buy! Buy! Because he started finagling his way into filling the cart.  He grabbed a big box of yogurt out of the refrigerated case.  "Too much sugar," I said.

"But Mom," he said, "I've been wanting these for decades."

"You haven't been alive for decades," I pointed out.

"Still."

"OK," I relented, because that child is spoiled.

Things will change in a few days though.  I have three strong willed children and when they are all three around, they take turns being in charge even though they would each argue they alone should be in charge all the time.

In the meantime, I'll let Mark eat yogurt.

I like weekends

They're just the best.

Friday we went to Dillon's wedding.  It was a wonderful occasion and I was delighted to see Stephanie.  We've been friends a long time and we've seen each other through some things and we've shared a lot of our lives while we pounded the pavement around our neighborhood with Squire, her pug.  I miss walks with Stephanie (and Squire) but I'm infinitely grateful that they have a house in Sundance now so we get to see each other occasionally.

After the wedding we went to their lodge for a lunch and it was beautiful and we enjoyed it.  We were completely hemmed in by other cars when it was time to leave and Adam thought his Subaru could go through a crazy small and rocky space and Braeden was egging him on and a woman whose van was parked nearby was increasingly nervous about the foolhardy man in the Subaru and his encouraging son.  Gavin, who was going back to PG with us to hang out with Mark for the evening, just laughed and shook his head.

People moved their vehicles and we made it out in one piece.

(There are certain people who shouldn't have Subarus and Adam is one of them.)

We picked Mark up from rehearsal and the smile on his face when he saw Gavin in the back seat could melt chocolate.  I had printed two copies of this picture and put each in a frame.  I gave them to Mark and Gavin.

I took the picture one day years ago when I threw caution to the wind and took those two to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.  I should take a picture of them now.  They're big and getting increasingly broad shouldered and they behave much better than they used to (they were wild boys!) but they are still sweet boys and the best of friends.

Having Gavin around feels as familiar as having my own kids around and hearing Mark and Gavin laugh was one of the high points of the weekend.

Adam and I got them pizza and we went out to dinner.

It was a classy Thai restaurant.  You could tell it was classy because the decor was taped together with Scotch tape.

The food was delicious and the company was good so who am I to complain?

Saturday we had a work day in the yard.  Adam pressure washed the deck and furniture and he and Mark moved everything up from its winter home below.  Mark and I pulled the cushions out of hibernation and I filled up my weed bucket a few times.  We're in that early stage when the warm sun feels lovely.  In a few months it will feel more like punishment.

That night, because it was apparently that kind of weekend, we went to dinner again.  This time it was with Cortney and Jordan and it was fun to catch up with them.  We visited long after our fish tacos were gone and sort of lost track of time.  I felt sorry we were so long because poor little Emma had food poisoning and we'd promised a visit to her.

We high tailed it to Provo to give her our love and hugs and clean up Loki which had had to bear the brunt of the food poisoning.  What's parenthood about if not to show up at times like that?

Sunday was a perfect weather day.  (Although Braeden whined he was too hot and I said, "You need to toughen up!  This is only the beginning!"  Then two minutes later I went inside because it was too hot.)

We ate on the deck and ate food that felt like summer food (including strawberry shortcake).

Sam joined us and he is leaving this week to go back to Switzerland for the spring.  We asked him what food he was most looking forward to eating.  He said, "Non-alcoholic beer."

I remembered we had some so one of the boys put it in the fridge.  Adam had bought some months ago for a chili recipe.

Later, after dinner and soaking up vitamin D on the deck and then playing Mölkky, which Adam won because he always wins, we came back inside.  The boys cracked open the bottles of non-alcoholic beer.  Braeden took one drink and spit it out in the sink.  "That is terrible!" he said.  Mark had the same reaction.

"This is good," Sam drawled in his Swiss accent that manages to make everything sound interesting. Then he asked Mark if he could drink the rest of his.

Braeden and Mark were amazed Sam liked it.  Sam wanted to know where we'd found it.  Braeden kept trying to find things to eat or drink to get the taste out of his mouth.

Mark said, "Well Mom, you know your boys will never be beer drinkers."

So there's that.

Grateful Friday

A list:

I'm grateful that today is Dillon's wedding and since it is practically in our backyard (Mt. Timpanogos  temple) we get to go.  I'm excited to see Stephanie--OK, the whole family.

I'm grateful for spring weather.  (For real spring weather, not the snowy kind.)  I want to set up the deck furniture tomorrow and let the evenings out there commence.

I'm grateful for creative projects that make me happy.

I'm grateful to Emma for teaching me how to use Snapchat and then sending me snaps.  Is that how we say that?

I'm grateful Emma has extra money on her meal card so we can all join her for family dinners from time to time.  Even though "The Canc" as Emma calls it is not as good as it was in the Pax Thelma, I like family dinners there.  We're the only ones sitting around laughing too loud.  It reminds me of when I was a freshman and laughing with Adam and Robbie and Erin and Rachel.  Adam is still making me laugh, but now we have these witty kids too.

I'm grateful for Braeden's and Mark's relationship.  They are straight up friends where they used to be big brother and little brother.

I'm grateful the semester is almost over and we will 24/7 be together for awhile.  I'm bracing myself for the noise/laundry/dishes/groceries.  Totally worth it.

I'm grateful I get to volunteer and tutor.  When kids have that I get it now look in their eye it is one of the best feelings in the world.

I'm grateful for book club (we had it last night).  One of my book club friends told me about some books she read set in Seattle.  She said, "I thought of you.  You might like them."

I'm grateful there are SO many books I haven't read yet.

Little heroes

A lot of the children I work with when I volunteer are Hispanic.  (And super cute, but that's beside the point.)

I was working with a little boy a few weeks ago.  He is on the high end, skill-wise, of the students.  I was working with him on sentence sequencing which is leaps and bounds ahead of the kids who are struggling with vowel sounds.

He excitedly told me about the Box Top Contest in the school.  He told me the first grade classes were winning.  I told him that was great.  I asked him if he'd brought some box tops.  He said, "No.  My mom speaks Spanish so I don't know what a box top is."

At once my heart was broken and I was filled with admiration.  Also, my usual response to these cuties:  I just wanted to make him cookies.

I asked him if he spoke Spanish and I acknowledged how impressive it was that he spoke two languages.  I am teaching him sentence sequencing, but in his second language.  It kind of blows me away.

I am no star when it comes to reading all the communications from my children's schools.  So many emails.  Blah blah blah.

But I can read them.

If it's something that matters, I can find out about it.  I can send an email or make a phone call or walk into the school to talk to someone to advocate for my kids when necessary.

When I think of these tiny first graders navigating everything in a foreign language that their parents don't speak, it just astounds me.  They are little heroes.

Bearing mention

1.  The weather

But then about an hour later the sky was blue and the snow was melting fast.

Life in the Intermountain West.

2.  Mark

He broke his texting silence yesterday by texting us that he had "the actual worst PE sub."  He was still grousing about it after school.  Her big crime?  She reneged on a promise that they would play dodge ball (one of Mark's favorite things in the world).  They lifted weights for awhile then they were supposed to go to the other gym for dodge ball but instead she left for a few minutes and came back with another teacher who started a video for them.

"The video was The 100 Best NFL Players.  I'm sure it's a fine movie, but..."

"You wanted to play dodge ball?"

"Exactly."

(To me watching a video, even one about the 100 Best NFL players would feel like a stay of execution compared to dodge ball but I'm not Mark.)

Apparently all the boys let their but we thought we were going to play dodge ball feelings known.  At the end of the class, the sub told them they were "the worst class ever" and that thanks to them, she was having a "craptastic" day.

Mark said, "I didn't say anything, but I was thinking, well lady, you're the worst sub ever."

Sometimes I think Mark is the most curmudgeonly 15 year old boy alive.

3.  The first graders.

Yesterday I was working with three little girls who, for the life of them, can't keep d, b, p, and q straight.  I don't blame them.  They look alike.

We were getting settled at our table out in the hall and one of them walked up close to me.

"Does chicken count as gummy stuff you can't eat?"

"Um..."

"I have a spacer, see?"  She opened her mouth wide and we all took a look because what else were we going to do?  "And I can't eat gummy bears and stuff like that and I am wondering if chicken nuggets count."

She unclenched her fist where she was holding a very mauled and compressed chicken nugget that had been in her hand for an indeterminate period of time.  I in no way thought she should eat it, but I had to honestly tell her that it was probably fine with the spacer.  "Just go wash your hands," I said.

While we were working, I saw a little boy in a way too big sweatshirt, from a different first grade class, talking to his teacher (a teacher who is awesome, by the way).  Her class was heading out to the computer lab. She had the little boy stand at the doorway and she said, "He is moving, today is his last day.  On your way out the door, I want you to give him a high five."  I looked at the little boy with slumping shoulders and felt sad for him.  Moving is hard and when you're moving your family a month and a half before the school year is over, it is because you don't have a choice.

My little charges were doing a worksheet, coloring each cupcake a different color depending on whether it had a d, b, p, or q on it, so I watched the other first grade class.  Some of them gave an enthusiastic high five.  Some gave a sad but friendly smile and said they'd miss him.  A few of them stopped to give him a hug.

I don't know, but it seemed like by the time the last student had passed, he was standing a little taller.

I just hope that the next class is as kind.

Relief Society

For a lot of my adult life I've been out of Relief Society on Sunday (I've been in either Primary or Young Women class).  Any place is a good place to be (I like some more than others) but I really love Relief Society.

The following happened last Sunday:

I was handed an invitation for a baby shower for a young unwed mother.  Everyone wishes things hadn't turned out that way but that will not hold back the love and support and baby gifts.  It won't.

*

**

Someone talked about how another woman had "saved her life" one Sunday when her life was falling apart and no one at church knew.  This older sister waited for the younger one in the hall and looked her in the eye and asked, "Are you OK?"

The younger sister said, "No, I'm really not."  Then, when she was telling us the story, she said, "I told her what was happening and she gave me her wisdom.  And we became dear friends after that."

*

**

Every week lately, the teacher gives a challenge at the end of the lesson.  A few weeks ago, as I mentioned before, the lesson had been about being able to do hard things.  The question was asked, "Did anyone have an opportunity to apply their faith to doing something hard?"

Someone talked about how her husband and mother-in-law had needed surgery on the same day.

Someone else talked about coming home from spring break to a flooded basement.

A few more sisters talked about hard things that had happened.

Someone else raised her hand and said, "It sounds like a lot of people had a hard week.  Can I make a suggestion that we don't have any more lessons about hard things?

It makes me happy to be there.

Making my heart sing

Three things I'm happy about this morning:

1.

Emma gave me some nail polish for my birthday and this blue gray shade is the perfect color my soul has been craving.

I was so happy with it I took a picture to text Emma.

2.

Adam and I ran errands together this weekend a few times and it makes me unreasonably happy to run errands with Adam.  Errands by myself is kind of the worst and errands with Adam is one of my favorite things to do.

3.

The text messages.

From Emma:

And

And then there's this from Adam:

(Emma always has the good replies)

Braeden sent this:

And just this morning, this came in:

If you're wondering why Mark seldom chimes in on these conversations it is because he has blocked the Fam-A-Lam conversations.

On the one hand, I don't blame him and on the other hand, I do point out from time to time what he is missing so he can get caught up.

Grateful Friday

Emma to the rescue.  Mark had rehearsal during his registration time for 10th (!) grade.  I remembered the high intensity, high stakes time Emma used to have doing that and I was nervous.  Also, looking over the list of possible classes and teachers caused my eyes to glaze over.  Mark mostly just wanted PE and to be in classes with his friends.  I asked Emma what she was doing at 3:30 on Thursday and she said she could come over and help me.

Daughters were a brilliant invention.

On Sunday when Braeden and Emma were over, we pored over the schedule and they made their teacher recommendations.  Braeden didn't have experience with as many teachers, but he gave Mark a stirring lecture on taking hard math classes in high school (something he hadn't done) and I appreciated that.

Mark inherited his underachieving inclination from me and his stubbornness from Emma (does it work that way?), so it's nice to have Braeden chime in.  He has infinitely more clout than I do.

We were examining the list of English teachers and they range from no to definitely-no to over-my-dead-body-no.   The one English teacher at the high school who my children haven't had but who I've heard good things about was only teaching Honors English.  "How about Honors English?" I asked Mark.

"No," he said.  "I don't like English so why would I want to do harder English?"

"Do you have to take a test or anything to get into Honors English?" I asked Emma.

"No," she said.  Then she added quietly, "Let's just put him in it."

"Don't tell him," I whispered.  But I didn't need to whisper because Mark wasn't paying a bit of attention.

Soon Emma and I dismissed the boys altogether.  They just kept talking about other things and we needed to focus.

I kept rewriting the list of possible class combinations and Emma said, "Mom, stop writing.  That isn't doing any good."

"It's helping me feel less anxious," I said.

Then Emma banished the boys further.  "You literally walked 5 feet away and we can still hear you and you're bothering us," she said.

And so the boys went into the other room.  They may tower over their sister but when she says jump, they ask how high.

Then Emma took over the writing.  She created two alternate schedules.

I admired her work but asked, "But what will we do if that class doesn't work?  Everything will change."

"Then we'll adjust," Emma said confidently.

*

**

Yesterday, the fated afternoon for registration, Mark ended up not having rehearsal after all.

Adam came home early and he walked in to see us surrounding the computer, getting ready.

"I thought Emma was coming because Mark had rehearsal," he said.

"Mark ended up not having it," I said.  "Ninth graders were excused for registration."

"Then why is Emma here?" Adam asked.

"Competence,"  Emma said, jokingly.

It was absolutely 100% true though.  She was there to be the competent one.  We all knew it.

She listed the teachers in order of priority.  She noted the period and semester for each one.  She was Ready.  At exactly the stroke of 3:30 PM, (Mark did a countdown) she refreshed the page and her little fingers started flying.  She typed and clicked and added at a dizzying pace.  In under two minutes, Mark was registered for every class he wanted (or more accurately the classes Emma and I wanted for him).

What do people without an Emma do?

Mark told her thank you thank you thank you.  "You're the best sister in the world," he said.

Later, I broke the news to him that we'd signed him up for Honors English.

"What?!?"

"Emma and I decided," I told him.  And what could he say to that?

The most interesting thing about me

After my first day of volunteering with first graders, I realized I needed paper.  For one thing, when they get to write with my pen, they feel like they won the lottery.  For another thing, you just need paper.  I think and explain and show with pen and paper.

I grabbed an old cast off composition book from a bookshelf and stashed it in my bag and I take it with me to the school.

You have no idea how fascinating this notebook is to every single child.

They run their fingers over it.  They ask me questions.

"Where did you get this notebook?"

"It's used to be my son's," I tell them.  Then, because they usually give me a sideways look, like they're wondering if they're dealing with a kleptomaniac here, I add,  "He didn't need it anymore.".

"You have a son?"

"Who colored it?"

"What did he color it with?"

"But where did you buy it?"

"Why is it colored like that?"

"How did it get like that?"

The same questions over and over and over because I work with different children all the time.

I never thought an old notebook that Braeden colored one time probably out of sheer boredom would be the most interesting thing about me.

Maybe I should bring Braeden to the school with me and they can climb all over him like an interactive museum exhibit.  The man behind the notebook.

On the bright side

Yesterday was a series of frustrations and hassles and feeling like I wasn't hitting the mark-- or any of several marks.

After volunteering (which I didn't feel had gone all that well), I was feeling generally discouraged.

Then I saw that I had this text on my phone:

It was from a number I don't know and I don't know Kellie Moeller.  I texted back that I thought they had the wrong number.

It did cheer me up though.

The board meeting was not at my house.  Someone was having a board meeting at their house but it was not me.  High fives all around.

*

**

Mark and I were driving and I (of course) took a wrong turn.  I said, "I don't even know where we are."

Mark said, "We're still in Pleasant Grove at least.  I know that because the roads are terrible."

There's always something to be grateful for, you know?

Be still

Sunday in Relief Society we were discussing the talk by Elder Ellis from October 2017 conference,  Do We Trust Him, Hard is Good.  It's such a good talk and such an important lesson I need to learn.  1) I don't like hard things for myself and 2) I REALLY don't like hard things for my kids.

I need to keep picturing them like chicks who need to peck their own way out of the shell to get stronger.

I loved sitting in that room and listening to the wisdom of the women surrounding me.  Some of them have gone through Hard things (with a capital H) and they chose to turn to the Lord in their suffering and grief.  I aspire to be more like them.

Someone mentioned that she had received the impression to be still (as in Be still and know that I am God).  Another woman raised her hand and asked the question, "But what does that look like? Being still?"

So I've been thinking about that question.  I think for me, the place where I feel most stillness is in the temple.

I have been feeling increased gratitude for temples lately, for a variety of reasons.

I'm grateful there's a new temple announced for Virginia.  Braeden took my heart to Virginia with him when he served his mission and I guess when he was leaving a bit of his heart behind, he left some of mine too.

I'm also so grateful for the temple that I see outside my window every day.  We had Seattle-like weather Saturday and clouds and fog shrouded the temple.

I missed it.

My eyes are drawn to it every time I look out the window.

A new family moved to our neighborhood from New Jersey. Sunday at church the woman said that where they had lived, it took about 5 hours and either an expensive train ride or expensive toll roads and parking to get to the Manhattan temple.  "And now I can see it from my house," she said.

It is amazing and I don't appreciate it enough.

Last week I told Olivia that we were planning a family temple trip.  "The hard part," I said, "is trying to figure out which temple to go to."

Then I realized how ridiculous that sounded.  Should we go to the Mt. Timpanogas temple that is ten minutes away or the one that is practically on BYU campus or the other one in Provo or to Braeden's favorite, the Payson temple?  That is hard?  Some people have to save for years or take long trips to go to the temple.

Sometimes I think I should just stop talking.

We ended up at the Mt. Timpanogas temple and lately we've been going to the other temples because when I walked in, I felt like I was home.  I felt the familiarity wash over me.  I felt my spirit be still.

Sweet baby

We first made friends when Braeden got his mission call because Tara grew up in Virginia Beach.  Tara's parents went with the missionaries when they taught Stella and Tara's brother was in the bishopric and Braeden loved the whole family.

Then I started tutoring two of Tara's children and I love them.  They are adorable and bright and a joy to be around.

Yesterday their baby sister was blessed.  We were invited over after church and I magnanimously offered to hold the little one so other people could eat.  (And mostly I just wanted to hold her--I'm rarely that magnanimous.)

She is just so adorable!  I stood up right after this picture was taken and then she was happier.

Adam was sitting next to me.  He first marveled about how teeny tiny her fingers were--none of our kids were that teeny tiny.  Then he asked, "Are we ready to be grandparents?"

And yes, I think we are.  I just don't think we're ready to contemplate our kids being parents....

Grateful Friday

Some things I'm grateful for today:

1) This song.

Emma's choir has performed this twice and I've cried both times.  It's beautiful.  The second half of the song's lyrics are taken from responses of how the Women's Chorus members feel when they go to the temple.  It gets me every time.

2)  Mark finally put me out of my Monopoly misery.  He sent this text to Fam-a-lam, my obituary.

Braeden responded with this:

When my sisters and I used to play, we had a Federal Land Bank which was a safety net that may have caused mocking from the other sisters when you had to use it, but it meant that no one ever really lost.  Also, I always got the railroads.

I liked playing with my sisters more.

3)  We went to a baseball game last night, the Salt Lake Bees.

if my eyes are puffy in this picture, it's because my eyes are puffy....

I love going to baseball games.  For one thing, I understand the game.  Baseball is easy to follow. For another thing, baseball stadiums are beautiful.

We walked all around the stadium to see different angles.

And Mark is almost as tall as Adam, especially with that tower of hair he's got going on.

So if we become Salt Lake Bees fans, does that mean we have to be Angels fans?  Things could get confusing.

Spring break

Mark's home this week and we are having a slower pace to our days.  Staycation city and he's the mayor.

One thing I've done is look through some old pictures.  They're killing me a little bit.

Those brown eyes!

He's so little!  (But he still has the same personality.)

A few nights ago we tricked him into going to Costco with us by telling him we were going to see Braeden.  We got to Costco and he looked around, "Where's Braeden?" he asked.  "Is he meeting us here?"

I had to break the news that we were stopping at Braeden's after Costco and I think Mark gave me the same look as above.  Then he took his money to the food court for what he calls "the best deal in retail."  A hot dog and soda for $1.50.  (We'd already had dinner but then he had Costco potstickers when we got home so as you can see he's not to be limited by mealtimes.)

On the drive home from the Costco/Braeden trip, Mark read to us this news story from the backseat:

I was afraid he was going to hyperventilate he was laughing so hard.

For one of his spring break pastimes, I told Mark I wanted him to read To Kill a Mockingbird and of course he didn't want to.  Because in the history of ever, my kids don't want to read what I recommend.

I told him he had to read it because it is an important book and something educated people have read. I also told him that I loved the book and I was his English teacher so he had to read it.

He said, "But I'm on break."

I said, "It's not my fault you live with your English teacher."

Every afternoon, when the dreaded reading and chores are done, we've been playing Monopoly for about 45 minutes.  He is killing me.  He just is having the best luck and I'm having the very worst luck.  He keeps giving me money because he feels sorry for me and whenever he lands on my pathetic property and has to pay me, he overpays and says to keep the change.  I tell him I'm not proud and I do indeed keep the change.  He is still walloping me.  It's sad, but also not.  Because we're having fun.

And any day spent with Mark, is a good one in my book.

It was my lucky day when heaven sent me that boy.

Emma and Adam

Sometimes you just send a simple picture to Fam-a-Lam and Emma and Adam take over with witty plays on words.

On the one hand it surprised me that Emma spelled avocados wrong but on the other hand, I know her fingers were flying because she had to one up her dad.

I'm glad those two word nerds are mine.

Books I read in March 2018

Hope was Here by Joan Bauer ***

This is a Newbery Honor book.  So it's not exactly part of my goal, but it was a good book.  It's about a girl named Hope who lives with her aunt because her mom couldn't handle motherhood and abandoned her.  The aunt is a cook so teenaged Hope is a waitress.  They live in several places but this book takes place in small-town Wisconsin where they moved to work.  Since I was a waitress in high school and college, I enjoyed the waitressing aspect of the book.  Also, there were real and believable characters and the book was about...hope.  Good book.

The False Friend by Myla Goldberg **

This book had a very compelling story--it's about a woman who remembers something from her childhood, the disappearance of her best friend, that everyone else remembers differently.  I was interested in finding out whose memories were correct and why and then the book just ended.  It was as if the author woke up one morning and realized the date and that the manuscript was due so sent it in.

I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass **

This book chronicles the lives of two sisters over several decades.  It was OK but the sisters were pretty much unlikable.  Meh.

Flora by Gail Godwin ***

Definitely the best book I read this month.  It's a pretty sad tale about a little girl who is left in the care of a distant relative over the summer.  There is a polio scare so they are quarantined away most of the time.  Even though the story was sad and I prefer a happier one, I really liked this book.  The writing was impeccable and I felt like it was summer and I was right there with them.

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor ***

Mark gave me this book for my birthday and I was surprised by that because there is a dog on the cover and he refuses to read books with dogs on the cover.  He is convinced they're not getting out alive.  Emma told me she picked out the book on Mark's behalf and then that made more sense.

I liked the book.  It's about a boy who lives in rural West Virginia and finds a dog who is mistreated by his owner.  Marty, the boy, tries his best to hide the dog but you know that's not going to work out.  It was jarring when there was mention of a computer at his friend's house because I was convinced it was set during the Depression based on other descriptions.  Guess I don't know a lot about rural West Virginia.

Just wow

What a wonderful weekend!  How I love General Conference!  I loved gathering with my family and just enjoying.  The solemn assembly, when we stood and indicated our sustaining vote for our new prophet, President Nelson, was stirring and we were moved to tears.  Later Elder Anderson spoke to all the people that weren't in the Conference Center and told them about the strong spiritual feeling in that room.

But I think we felt it in our basement in Pleasant Grove too.

Braeden asked me a few times which my favorite talk was and I couldn't even answer.  All of them. Every one.  Can there be more?

I loved when Adam and Braeden and Mark came home from the Priesthood Session.  They were floating on air.  They were rejoicing in the awesome experience they had had.  And then I cried a little while they told me about it.

(Which isn't good for my eyes so I think I need to go somewhere with zero emotional highs and lows so I can not cry for awhile.)

I felt confirmation over and over that President Nelson is a true prophet of God.  With every sort of stunning announcement of change, I felt sure that President Nelson knew the Lord's will for us.

When he announced the new temples, Braeden jumped up from the couch and shouted for joy.  Richmond, Virginia is not in his mission boundaries but very close and will be a huge blessing to the people there.

So much excitement.

Emma and I prepared our Easter feast.  She is a pretty good baker and I can't take credit for any of it because she learned it from The Great British Baking Show.  Take that, people who don't value PBS.  We made a lemon meringue pie and she set a pretty table and made up a back story for funeral potatoes (it had to do with Aunt Madge...and I have no idea who Aunt Madge is).

Emma delights me.

Adam had the boys slice the ham so it was sort of a pass the torch situation for everyone.

I also love everything about Easter.  It is more low key than a lot of holidays (Christmas for one) but that doesn't dampen its significance in my mind.  And Easter may as well be a pastel Thanksgiving because my main emotion is gratitude.

I'm grateful for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Because of Him, I can repent and try again.  Because of Him, I will live again and see my dear ones again.  Because of Him, I can be helped in all facets of my life.  I can be helped to forgive, obey, carry on.  I know first hand that sometimes, where there is no where else to turn, no source of strength or comfort, I can turn to my Savior.  He will give me the help that I need.