Rain and Wheelchair, A Memory

As we drove home from the temple, we were suddently assaulted by rain. Huge, drowning droplets splattering over windsheild and car. It brought to mind a memory I have of BYU.
Sarahann would give me a ride on her wheelchair; a lot. One day I remember a similar rain happening, and although I was mostly getting the benefit of this wheelchair relation, I finally provided a good excuse to have me squishing the life out of Sarahann's legs. At least I kept most of her sheilded from the onslaught!

Three Girls

 
Those of Apt 1 days (aka As Apartment One Turns), will remember a fantastic term: snoove or snooving. I've taken that with me and have applied it in our family, too. Well, Hannah wants to join the fun, so the three of us girls ended up on the floor "snooving". Of course, it wasn't exactly comfortable. Both of these kids love to wiggle and squirm and fight over positions next to Mommy. Nonetheless, it does define snooving.

I Love to See the Temple

Why is it that you just never have energy in the morning when you need it? We had a Youth Temple Trip today and I had to wake up early. Okay, so I just actually had to wake up b/c I had someplace to go.
Somehow I mustered up the energy to get ready in record time and pick up a couple of our Beehives. As soon as we got to the Temple, I was rejuvenated. I even forgot why it was so hard to get out of bed.
It was a really great trip, especially as it was the first trip for five of our youth!! It was fantastic.
I really love the temple. We have to do better at getting up there to do service.

Where'd Ya Get Those Peepers

Caleb came over yesterday ready for a mud mess. He and Em splashed around in the mud and water from the pool while Stef became photographer. She got some great pictures and has posted a bunch on her blog. I didn't realize how amazingly blue Em's eyes were until looking at her blog. Apparently, Eric and I like the color of her eyes because nearly a year ago when we built Hannah's dog house, we painted it the same color. I just had to share this picture!

Understanding Weakness

I "know" the Lord is guiding me daily, but most of the time I don't recognize it until someone puts up the neon sign saying "Did you notice...?"
Last night as I was driving home from mutual, the thought came to my mind to call my friend and ask her to babysit while I do a photo shoot in a couple of weeks. Now, most of the time, I don't even remember that I need to do that until last minute (come on, I only got a sitter for this Saturday yesterday afternoon and mostly b/c Stef offered to keep her for me). So, not recognizing my forward planning as of yet, I called her. Unknown to me, just calling her was an answer to her prayer. We talked about a lot of different things and I tried to be a good friend.
Then, this morning, I read/typed the rest of Ether 12. Due to my conversation last night and a question Sarah left on my answering machine last week regarding humility, I got so much more out of this reading. Of course, I should also note that I began doing this chapter yesterday but felt like I needed to quit where I was (like, verse 2 or 3). Now I get it. I needed the conversation last night to bring other items to light for my understanding of this scripture. Thus, in answering someone else's prayer, she answered mine.
There are a few basic things to consider before reading this chapter. First, this is a chapter inserted by Moroni while recording the Book of Ether. This inserted chapter is a beautiful sermon on faith and charity. I find it interesting that this is such an amazing chapter (as are other writings originated by Moroni's hand, see Moroni 10, for example) as he cites another individual as having more power in writing than he does. He sets up Mahonri Moriancumer as the epitome of scriptural writing. I'm sure we all do this with our current situations of whom is better than us at such and such a skill. However, recognizing this, he is then able to teach us about humility and charity. Humility in recognizing his own weakness and yet this leads to his charity towards man as he prays that "the Gentiles" will not mock his words.
Everyone probably recognizes the Ether 12:27 reference. However, I think in memorizing this scripture, we forget to attach the remainder of what the Lord says to Moroni in verse 37. The Lord states, after Moroni prays for men not to mock his writing skills, "If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father." I must be faithful in the commandments the Lord has given me. I cannot stop because I fear man or the judgments of man. Instead, I do my best and pray for others. Independent of whatever those other men choose, however, I do my best and I will receive what I desire: to live with my Savior and my God again.

A Few Essentials

I've read other people's blogs and they post some of their essential items. Here are mine for Emily:
Sheepie aka Up-She
Washable crayons and an abundance of paper
Bubble blower machine
Harmonica
Stickers

Sheepie is the cuddle-thing. She adores this stuffed animal, although it is looking more and more ragged. Sadly, it is only barely over a year old, too!!
Emily is quite the artist. She will sit and color things for hours. Of course, I have to check to make sure she hasn't gotten bored of the paper and has begun coloring other smooth surfaces. BUT, when she does, at least most things come clean with a soapy wash (I've noticed that even after that, there is some kind of grease residue on certain surfaces and you can see it when the light hits it right).
I'm not sure if Emily or Hannah (our dog) loves the bubbles more. At least when the machine blows them, I'm not battling Emily over who gets to hold the container and wand.
We just purchased Em her "song". It's a harmonica. She plays it all the time and it is quite hilarious. If I knew how to do it, I'd post the video we took of Em dancing to the harmonica. Funny, funny girl.
Stickers? Besides being fun to put on your skin and pull them off again until they no longer have stick, they are also the best reward system we've come up with for Em's potty training. Of course, we shot ourselves in the foot when we started with candy, so basically she is earning about 6-8 stickers and 6-8 pieces of candy every day. But, it's working.

Tybee Island

We went on an adventure with Stefanie, Caleb, and Stef's mom (visiting from UT). We drove down to Savannah and Tybee Island (where you can actually get down to the beach). It was a lot of fun. Stef and I looked like Japanese tourists with our cameras and taking tons of photos.
Em was afraid of the water at first (remember, there is foam or "bath bubbles" from the waves on the beach and the noise. However, the ocean was quite calm here and after seeing Caleb playing in the water, Em decided perhaps it wasn't that bad after all. She eventually got too brave and I had to make sure she didn't go out too far. Ah, what competition with your best friend can do for you!

What a Tasty Treat!

 

What is that tasty treat that has Emily so enthralled? First, you should know, she got it for herself.
Yes, and gross! It's Hannah's dog food!!! Emily scooped up her own serving of dogfood as her afternoon snack and pulled up to the computer to watch the pictures on the screen saver. Lovely.

Quotable Quotes

I recently added a "page element". I'd love to make it more like a list of hilarious quotes. Kind of like in college when you say a lot of ridiculously stupid things that your roommates continue to bug you about, or long trips where family members are perhaps, a bit too tired to continue the journey, but you do it anyway.
After a conversation with Rachel, I thought this would be fun to do. So, if you think of anything, let me know so I can add it!

Impression of Imitation

We all know that the first years of a child's life are the most impressionable. Apparently, this is an imitation of something that I've done a lot of lately...spot cleaning. Em took a dish towel and her cup of water and went around the kitchen (on the tile) cleaning up. As I was searching for something on the internet, Emily began her version of "cleaning." I looked down and saw this. She'd press the tip of the cup down until water would spill out and then promptly wipe it up with her towel. I quickly took a picture so I have blackmail in her later years that she once loved to clean: unasked and willing.

Where's Waldo?

One of my favorite adolescent memories comes from a book Grandma JoAnn gave us as a family. It was the Mormon version of "Where's Waldo?"...I think it was called "I Spy a Nephite" which related to another game I remember playing with her called "I Spy a Color..." The book was filled with funny little sayings that Grandma added to the book, thus the enjoyment...more a "what did Grandma do to this page?" kind of game. Well, Where's Waldo is not lost on Emily. This is her take on it.
Emily has become fascinated with her toy box. At present, it is filled only with her dolls and animals. She plopped this hat on (a dress-up item we got for Caleb and her to play with) and squished her way into the box.
Of course, this was prior to her "abandon ship" game of tossing out every last item.

It Makes Sense

Okay, I was one of the few college students that went in and graduated with the first declared major (and no, I didn't go in undeclared, either...however, "technically" someone in admissions typed it in incorrectly, so I did have to have that fixed). But, there were several times as I was contemplating grad school, law school, or just getting a teaching certificate. At one point, an adviser at BYU-H told me that I ultimately had never made a decision in my educational life. Majoring in Humanities, with an emphasis in Comparative Literature and a special studies in Classical Civilization and having French and ASL as my languages just didn't exactly point in any specific direction. I was all over the place, or so this man thought. Now I know why! Biology (which, I really did enjoy those classes) and Psychology (which I never had a course in, I chose Philosophy instead of Psychology for that requirement). I was way off in and of myself! Of course, perhaps the results are skewed as I had to choose answers that were close rather than correct on this quiz.

Which College Major Should You Be?
	Your major should be part Biology. You work hard, and you're gonna keep working hard for many years to come. That's why you keep your work organized and your health in good shape.
	Your major should be part Psychology. You enjoy understanding people, especially if it helps you get their numbers. You can save the books for grad school, right now it's all about field work.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

The Whole Shebang

So, tell me, who really knows what this phrase means/where it comes from? No, not you, Stef. I know you know it!!
Tonight we had a Daddy-Daughter evening focusing on the set up of tents (part of our pre-camp stuff). We invited Frank Groce (he's the father of one of our new beehives) to demonstrate the tent setup they use in their Civil War Re-enactments. He showed us the A-frame and the whole shebang! Yep, a half shebang is basically a square of canvas with lead buttons and button holes on it. One soldier carries a half and his buddy carries the other, so when they get to camp, they put the two together and have a whole shebang. Therefore, if your buddy falls in battle, you end up having to carry the whole shebang.
I was amazed at how quickly these tents went up and how crisp they looked. Of course, they used cut pieces of wood and the soldiers would have just found limbs or whatever was available to assemble it so they wouldn't have that burden to carry around. I thought it was pretty interesting. And, on top of that, I'm in Book 8 of The Work and the Glory series where the Saints are leaving Nauvoo and heading west. I definitely have a better appreciation after tonight's demonstration of what setting up tents meant for these weary travelers.

Faith, Hope, and Charity

So, I am slowly reading the Book of Mormon. This time, from back to front. I have an added study technique...to type it in paragraph form. This helps me to slow down and think about what is being taught. It also helps me to find the main idea and process those ideas and feelings more clearly.
My lesson learned today is on faith, hope, and charity. In this chapter (Moroni 7), Moroni is quoting his father (most of Moroni is filled with these choice words). We get down to the "meat" of the chapter in verse 20 when a question is posed: "How is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?" This is an important question because Matthew already taught us that (Matthew 7:7-11 ) God gives us the best gifts and He desires that for us. Thus, he explains in the following verses of Moroni 7 about the Atonement, but in verse 25 spells it out that "by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing." The Atonement remains ineffective if we do not exercise our faith upon it. Our desire to rid ourselves of sin and to ask God for forgiveness is necessary for this to take place. In the following verse (verse 26) we are told that "Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good (repentance, therefore, being good), in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you." This is further emphasized in verses 33 and 34 where it states "If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." and "Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved." However, he also counters that if we do not have faith in him, then we are "not fit to be numbered among the people of his church"(verse 39).
These concepts are furthered later in the chapter as it describes the relationship between having hope, which leads to faith, which (hopefully) causes us to develop charity...which it is also pointed out here in verse 46 that "if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth." We are then counseled to pray with "all the energy of heart" for charity. Guess what? This is exactly what enacted the fulfillment of the Atonement. Christ was filled with charity for us, his fellow man, and bled from every pour in not just empathy, but real pain and sorrow for our pains and sorrows. At last, his heart broke on the cross and his mortality was ended only to continue that charity through the eternities as a perfect and immortal being!! What incredible hope is that!?
This was an excellent chapter to remind me of some of those blessings I prayed for diligently as a missionary. Sadly, those things have not remained in my focus upon returning from that bountiful field. Perhaps I can do better if I can remember this lesson and once again pray with all the energy of my heart for charity so that my family will grow in the gospel but also that our ward will grow and especially the Young Women's program for which I have been given responsibility!

Do You Know the Lord's Servants?

In an effort to become more familiar with the Apostles, I have begun a Personal Progress Project. I'm studying the lives of these good men in order to have a better appreciation and understanding of them so that when I hear their words, I can be more receptive (not that I'm not listening...just having that background makes things more understandable and interesting).
Everyone knows that by seniority is the new prophet selected. The most senior apostle (the one serving longest) is then ordained. President Monson was called into the Quorum of the Twelve back in 1963, making him the most senior apostle.
Here's my little tidbit of interesting "trivia"...did you know that his counselors are two of the most newly called?? You probably all remember E. Uchtdorf being called back in 2004. What I didn't realize until beginning this project is that E. Eyring was the most recently called prior to that (happening in 1995). So, his counselors are the newest aside from E. Bednar (called, also, in 2004) and E. Cook (called just last October). I find it interesting that the most senior apostle is serving in a presidency that also combines the relative "youth" of these other brethren.

Diaper Thongs

Okay, so I was totally dying yesterday when this comment was made and thought a post should be dedicated to it.
Emily has had a tendency to have part of her caboose hanging out of her diaper. Yes, I realize that it is the person who is putting the diaper on who is mostly to blame. However, due to the fanny not getting "packed" correctly, she has appeared to start the newest fad for Hollywood fashion: the Diaper Thong! I'm sure we could market it and charge $100/box!! And, yes, Ryan and Stef, we'd split the proceeds since you coined the term. =)

Easter and Passover

So, I've been pondering the relation between our current Easter and the Jewish Passover. I know that traditionally we have been taught that Christ's atonement occurred during the same time as the Passover Feast. I'm not discrediting that, I'm just wondering why Easter came so early this year and how the Passover doesn't happen until April 19th. Although they are both "movable" holidays, I assumed that those dates would be set corresponding to each other. Obviously they are not. So, if anyone knows how this happened (except that Passover is a non-Christian holiday and Easter is actually a changed Pagan holiday...I get that part). All I can discover is originally Easter was held in correspondence with the Jewish Passover. Then came a difference of opinion/belief which led to a debate of holding Easter on Nisan 14 or the Sunday following that date. Eventually they chose to follow a lunisolar calendar to determine the date in order that they might separate themselves from Judaism (much the way that the founders of the USA wanted to differentiate themselves from mother England). Ironic that the Jewish holiday marks the death and resurrection of the Lord, yet Jews reject Christ, however, early Christians didn't want to be associated with that culture and chose to change the date of celebration. Not that this is a doctrinal point, but it does demonstrate the influence of Man's decisions in the observance of Christian beliefs and the freedom of the leaders of early apostate Christianity in defining things.

Cherry Blossom Festival

Okay, so I have to redirect you as I didn't have my camera (I know, Sarah...never miss an opportunity...it was in the car, I was just too lazy). Anyway, Stef has graciously posted some of the pictures she captured of Caleb and Emily on the rides today. You can view her blog site at http://basicallydixonnews.blogspot.com/ I think it is under the same heading. They were really fun to watch. I'm just grateful they let Emily on at all, since she is such a shortie compared to Caleb (realistically, he is just extremely tall for his age). I was afraid he'd be able to ride and she wouldn't get to enjoy the fun at all. But, like the "protector" men are supposed to be, she was allowed to ride on the condition they ride together with her on the inside. Thanks, Caleb!! Emily had a really fun day.

Am I Intelligent?

The Brainteaser Test

My Result: 25

Before you jump to any conclusions about a score of 25, remember there's even more to a Brainteaser result than that! The Brainteaser test also indicated people's core problem-solving strengths — whether they're stronger when it comes to solving quantitative, visual-spatial, linguistic-mathematical, logic, or pattern recognition problems!

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=braintwisterogt&c=50652

This puts me in the 96th percentile and..."When we analyzed your test, we also discovered that when it comes to linguistic-mathematical ability, you measure in the 96th percentile. This score indicates you have unusually strong abilities when it comes to understanding numerical representation in words or "word problems." You're highly proficient at translating words into numbers. This can be very useful when solving a problem in real life. When people are discussing a vague problem that needs a specific solution, you're able to cut through the extraneous information to a clear answer."
Hmmm...and some people would beg to differ with that.

Lost Obsession

Which Lost Character Are You?

My Result: Kate Austen

Feisty, funny, and fearless? You bet you are. Sure, you get scared sometimes, and sure, you might have some skeletons in your closet, but in a pinch, you can always be counted on to do the right thing. You may try to hide your feelings, but everyone can see you're a real sweetheart — even with your stubborn streak!

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=lostogt&c=50652

And for fun, again...

80 words

Speed test

Okay, so I thought I'd try it again at a better time of the day. This is more true to what I thought I typed. Now, where is that amazing do-at-home job that I could just type stuff for businesses? Oh...because it is already typed up these days! No one writes on paper first! Ahhh...and I thought it would be a marketable skill at one point.

Master of Disaster

Emily has been Tropical Storm turned into Hurricane lately. We are to the point of no longer playing with toys, but dumping them out to see what kind of mess she can create and how large a surface she can cover. At this point, I'm glad I only have one to deal with (although, when you remember that Hannah has toys and destroys them, I really am dealing with two). I can honestly tell people now that ask that forbidden question of "So what DO you do all day?" that I clean up, read books, play with toys, empty the potty chair, take the dog out, do laundry, wash/stack dishes, change Em's cloths, put on and remove Em's shoes five or six times, worry about the YW program in it's various parts, and make meals every day. THAT'S what I do all day.
And yet, somehow, I'm trying to get into more of a routine so I can more faithfully study the scriptures, get some "real" exercise in (if you can't count chasing a toddler and a dog around the house) AND work on my talents/skills that I would like to develop further (ie: playing piano and learning the craft of photography currently).
And for those who think I'm complaining...I'm not! I'm happy that this is my job. It just makes me laugh that it really does make me happy to live this life and feel really blessed that we are able to do so. I never would have thought that as a teenager!

Getting Old

So, I just saw this on Ryan and Stef's blog and thought I'd try it. I must say, old age is wearing me down. I'm not typing as fast as I "usta-could".
74 words

Speed test