How do you know your loved?

You know those chores you just hate? The ones you dread doing? For me it's folding socks and sweeping the floor. (I don't know why, I think it must be some kind of childhood trauma!)

Well, Mark was up early and while I was getting breakfast together, studying... I was trying to figure out exactly why Mark was headed back and forth from the garage. He came to the kitchen with dust all over his suit, gave me a kiss and headed out to the office. OK, so I'm a kid at heart. The oatmeal can wait. Out of the kitchen I head, and there it is. The Christmas tree. And not just the tree. The wreaths are hung on the door...and out the front door... the lights are up around the house. Now, my husband is not Scrooge. He loves Christmas and all the family traditions with one MAJOR exception. He hates (along with everyone else in the house but me) those two chores most of all. And this year, without even a hint or a prod, before it even reached my mind (It's not even December yet!), the job is done. Not because he loves it or even cares, but because I do.

And that's how I know he loves me.
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*** Here are some of the finished decorations. I just love the soft glow from fire, tree lights, and candles!

Say Cheese!

So here are some out-takes from our attempt at a Christmas card picture.  I just grabbed a few-and not any of the incredibly awful ones with strange expressions, closed eyes...

One of these at the fountain almost made the cut, but I was outvoted.

Jessica loved this picture, because she said it described all of our personalities. I can't remember all of it, but basically-Jeffrey is the star/center of attention. She's not jealous. ha ha. She'll need to comment and remind me what everyone's expressions say about our family dynamics.

The great thing about digital photography...

...you can take 100's of shots to gaurantee at least a handful of good ones to choose from.

The downfall of digital photography...

....you take 100's of shots!

And here are the fearless photographers, Adam and Rebekah! Actually Adam, took our family piture last year, too. So nice to have them close by!

Warm Fuzzies

During General Conference, everyone in the family wrote down ideas of things they thought we should follow up on as a family. Everybody mentioned President Monson's talk, What Have I Done for Someone Today?,  so that became the topic for our Family Home Evening lesson last night. (I love that we can watch general conference talks again anytime we want!)  We only watched a small portion of the talk, but all the kids remembered it, especially when we saw the picture of the warm fuzzies-Jeffrey's favorite part.

We focused on the idea of loosing ourselves in service to others and the following thoughts from President Monson:

Often we live side by side but do not communicate heart to heart. There are those within the sphere of our own influence who, with outstretched hands, cry out, “Is there no balm in Gilead?”⁷

I am confident it is the intention of each member of the Church to serve and to help those in need. At baptism we covenanted to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light.”⁸ How many times has your heart been touched as you have witnessed the need of another? How often have you intended to be the one to help? And yet how often has day-to-day living interfered and you’ve left it for others to help, feeling that “oh, surely someone will take care of that need.”

We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, however, and take a good look at what we’re doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in the “thick of thin things.” In other words, too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes.

We want to focus on "doing" and follow through. The boys went with me to buy warm fuzzies. We piled them in a jar so that each time someone does something kind, they can glue it on a mat surrounding a picture of President Monson and the poem he said he has used as a guide through his life:

I have wept in the night

For the shortness of sight

That to somebody’s need made me blind;

But I never have yet        

Felt a tinge of regret

For being a little too kind.

While we were talking, the spirit whispered to me that this lesson, or the results of this lesson could change the lives of our family. We all loved President Hinckley so much (Jeffrey still regular talks and prays about developing the 6 B traits), but now we have a new prophet, leading us in his own special way. Who is kinder than President Monson? And who knows how long we will have him? How long do we have to become more like him? He is one of the kindest, purest souls on earth. If each of us could be more like him, we would be better people.  He is Christ's messenger on earth today.

I remember the spirit touching my heart when President Packer testified of President Monson and reminded us to pray for him, his wife, and his family. I was similarly touched when, the next day, the prophet himself asked us to pray for him. I don't need to be told 3 times. Every day since then, I have tried to make those pleas a part of my life. I've encouraged my children to do it. I've reminded the missionaries to do it. And this is a natural extension of those prayers. We pray for people we love. We also listen to and emulate the people we love. They are all wrapped up together. Praying for the prophet not only sustains him, it changes us. Jen taught me once, that our job as mother's consists of 3 simple things: providing for the physical needs of our family, loving and teaching them to love, and helping them understand their relationship to their Father in Heaven and to their Savior, Jesus Christ. Following the prophet in this way encapsulates each of these three areas.  During this week of Thanksgiving, as a mother, as a daughter of God, I am deeply grateful to my Savior, Jesus Christ, for a prophet on the earth to love and follow.

A little help, please

This is a great week! Why? The Ensign came. It's already been a whole month since general conference. It's hard to believe. And here's where the help comes. Watching conference once each 6 months and reading each article online or when the Ensign comes is really just the tip of the ice berg. So what ideas do you have for wringing every ounce of goodness out of conference?

Here are some of our ideas:

• Each member of the family has their own copy of the conference edition of the Enisgn to bring to FHE and for personal study. (Got that one from Lisa Greene years ago when our husbands were in the bishopric together.)
• Embrace the digital age and download the music and talks from the church's website.
• During conference, there are slips of paper available for members of the family to write down ideas or impressions of things that want to study/try as a family. These become some of our topics for FHE lessons and activities.
• Create your own crossword puzzle from conference talks for Sunday activities. There are lots of websites, but this one is easy.
• Make a list of clear and measurable goals and objectives with a timeline during a Family Counsel or Family Home Evening.
• Everyone make a list of questions when they read a talk and have every bring them to scripture study to discuss.

Also, if anyone has ideas for specific talks. For example, who has a great idea for a talk dealing with the rod of iron? I love this picture, just had to add it:

• With all the talks about 'love', our kids want to resurrect an old idea. Each week we pick a different person and put little notes of appreciation in a jar. At the end of the week-that person gets the 'You are Special" plate and Dad reads all the messages.
• When I read Elder Scott's talk, I thought we could have an object lesson with a grape and a jalepeno pepper.

Elder Andersen poses these great questions during some talks given in regards to conference and counsel from living prophets.

Since the last general conference, what have we done with the counsel and encouragement we received from our Church leaders?

What is our reaction to this prophetic counsel? What has been my response and your response to this First Presidency letter of nearly eight months ago? As a parent of teenagers in a busy world, I can confirm that it takes giving these issues our highest priority to see them effectively work in our family.

They forgot the Elephants!!!

The boys were right. We did have a great trip to the zoo, but they forgot one of the best parts-the ELEPHANTS! We didn't go up top to see them, but we still had a pretty good view from the back fences by the zoo keepers entrance.

We couldn't figure out why this elephant kept spraying dirt all over his back. He would reach down and get a huge handufl and spread it all over his back. It wasn't hot. He wasn't wet. Bored?

Another reason I was glad they weren't too close. No dirt shower for me, thanks.

I remember trips to the Hogle Zoo in Utah. Back then, you could buy peanuts to feed the elephants. It was one of my favorite stops even though it was so scary to watch that big trunk come closer and closer to your hand. I was always afraid the elephant would swallow my fingers with the nuts, but some morbid thrill seeking center always kept me coming back.

The Phoenix Zoo

My Dad, Brandon and I are looking at some turtles at the zoo. There's this big long bridge before you get to the door and way down under you is a lake. There are lots of giant fish in the lake and some ducks and lots of turtles.
Here is one of the ducks.

And this is one of the turtles. He's really big, but it's hard to tell cause there's nothing else around him. There is moss growing on his feet and his shell.

We're looking at the turtles. I was asking my Dad about them. I was glad he took us to the zoo. I like doing things with him.

My mom really likes this giant fish. Every time we go, she tries to find it. Sometimes it is really far away, but you can still see it from the bridge, because the fish is so big and the bridge is up so high.

The Orangutan Family

On our trip to the zoo, we saw a family of orangutans. Above on the left we have the mom and on the right, the baby girl named Kasih.
The baby climbed across the rocks, dropped 2 stories down a rope and used her feet to grab some blankets. She hauled them up to the top and hid under them. It was so cute, she just threw them up over her head and put herself to sleep.

There is also a grandma. You can see just a little of her foot on the right of this picture. The Dad was waiting down below staring at a door, in the exact same position that I saw him last time we were at the zoo. (About a few months ago.) He could hear his zoo keeper inside getting everything ready for him to go in for the night. He had huge cheeks and ugly teeth.

He looked like.... hmmm.

The Land of the Dragons

There is a new exhibit at the zoo. We've been waiting and waiting for it to come. it is called The Land of the Dragons.

The Komodo Dragons weren't doing much when we saw them, but I still think they are raelly cool. There were two of them. One boy and one girl. The boy's name is Ivan and the girl is called Gaia. They are really big, but they don't live together. They live in separate cages.

It has really sharp teeth and powerful jaws. The grab on and they don't let go. If they do let go, the animal dies, because they're saliva is venomous. They are 8 feet long.

Sting Rays

My Mom and Dad took me to the zoo. Brandon came, too. One of my favorite things to see is the sting ray exhibit.

Brandon was reaching down to pet a shark. I was going to pet the shark, but I couldn't reach it. It was at the very bottom. It looks like my Dad is going to fall in the water.

The sting rays are so soft. At 10:00, you're allowed to get dead fish and feed them.

Right under that black sting ray is the shark that Brandon petted.

That little basket in the back has a baby sting ray in it. It's in a basket, because the other sting rays will eat it. They eat their babies. It was born on Veteran's Day (yesterday).
I was leaning over to pet the sting rays, when this one speed up and splashed me.

I had to use my jacket as a towel. It was funny.

It was a good thing my mouth was closed so salt water wouldn't get in my mouth.

My mom was the one taking the pictures.

Fear Not, I Am With You

Today at church, the primary children sang songs and bore simple testimonies of how learning about the role of families in the God's plan during Sunday School has blessed their lives. They sang the beautiful hymn, "How Firm a Foundation". As I watched my two youngest sons sing that hymn, I had a strong feeling of peace. The 3rd verse begins,

"Fear not, I am with thee, Oh be not dismayed
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen, help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand."

I have experienced the power of good music in my life even as a young girl. There have been those difficult moments when the verses of hymns were brought to my memory offering strength, conviction, comfort and hope. As they sang, I knew this song would provide similar blessings to them later in their lives.

It was a special Sacrament service. There was a 3-year-old down syndrome girl in bench before us. She was beautiful with little pig tails and such a pure sweet face. It reminded of a little boy named Harley I knew when I was 12. Because he was born with severe heart complications, his 4 years of life were a miracle. At his funeral, I remember this story.

He was on a walk with his grandma. She told him that she felt so happy when she was with him. When she walked with him and held his hand, she said it felt like she was holding the hand of God. Then that sweet little boy looked up at his grandma and said,

"Then hold it Grandma. Hold the hand of God."

Too often I take for granted just how precious and close little children are to God.  Of course, temper tantrums and tears don't help, but at those times we need those fall back moments to remind us who they really are. For me, it's the chapters in 3rd Nephi that describe Christ interactions with the little children. It teaches me that if Christ were here, one of His chief interests would be talking with and blessing the lives of  children. If I'm supposed to pattern my life after His, my interests should be similar.

And here's the best part. When I'm busy helping and loving His children, every aspect of that verse above comes back to me ten fold. When I love His children, I feel His love and support for me. When we hold the hand of a child, we hold the hand of God. Amazing.

The Art Show

Brandon and Jeffrey are taking art classes at ASU on Saturdays. Jeffrey is taking a class that explores different mediums, but Brandon's class is solely photography with lots of time spent in the dark room. Brandon meets in the basement, but Jeff is all the way at the top of the building. He can see me park the car and walk up the walk to pick him up.

(Jeff misses his cousins-but made up for lost time playing with the instructor's son!) We don't have a final picture of Jeff's mask, but I know he enjoyed making it. His favorite project is the ocean landscape. His sketch book has lots of practice work in preparation for the final piece. He also had fun preparing for a space scene-an astronaut floating next to a space ship shooting stars. There's some kind of ironic aspect to this piece that alludes me, but cracks Jeffrey up. He didn't finish that one, since the final day for that project fell on conference week end.

Jeff with his instructors.

Brandon explaining his work to Dad. It was fun to take the boys each week and listen to what they were learning. I miss the art docent program at Antelope Meadows, but I'm sure it will be there when I get back. Brandon's stories especially made me itchy to get in the dark room again. It's been a long time.