Lucy is 8!

I can't believe my little girl is 8!  Lucy's birthday was earlier this month. She was actually born the day Barack Obama won the election in 2008.  It was lame for me because I had just given birth and the only thing on TV was election coverage and then of course I live in conservative Katy so everyone at the hospital was completely depressed about the outcome.  I was disappointed too- I really wanted Mitt Romney to win.  But snuggling with my sweet Lucy cheered me up a bit.
Anyway, for her birthday I told her she could have a very small party while the boys were at a scout campout so she invited a few girls over and they swam, ate donuts on a string, played pin the tail on the rabbit and ate bean burritos and cupcakes.  Girls are so easy.  I kept waiting for it to devolve to wrestle-mania but it never happened.  Lucy's BFF's at church are quite a bit older than she is.  It's so funny but she is very drawn to older girls so we had a wide range of ages at the party.

I have been looking for a couple of months for a baptism dress for Lucy.  Every search seemed to yield either a super nerdy and painfully expensive option or something that like a mini wedding dress- often even a bit sexy.  Seriously!?  Then I started finding pictures of communion dresses that I loved but all of the links were in Spanish and I never found a single one for sale.  So I finally decided to find a way to sew my own.  I am no seamstress.  I hate following patterns and whenever I sew something new my seam ripper gets a lot of use.  This dress was no exception.  I spent 2 hours at Jo Anns picking out fabric and embellishments (that part I LOVED).  I spent $37.  Then it took 2 full evenings of sewing to get it right.  But I was so happy with the finished product.  Lucy and I took a trip to the temple and snapped a bunch of pics. So fun.  I brought along a Book of Mormon and about 10 minutes into the photo shoot when Lucy became completely bored with smiling, she suddenly became very interested in reading.  I got a few good shots of her that are very Pride and Prejudice like.  :)  Yes!

So we were assigned the date of Nov 19 for her baptism.  I read on a blog somewhere that it is easy to assume a baptism is short and easy and to underplan.  It's worth it to carefully plan all the details.  So I did that this time and was so glad I did.  It helped that I didn't have babies or toddlers at my feet.  :)  We wanted it to be simple and just were hoping that people would feel the spirit there and that Lucy would feel loved.

My brother Jim and his family made the trip from San Antonio, which meant the world to us.  Also my awesome sweet Uncle Bill, Aunt Robin and cousin Jeff came down from Jersey Village.  When I got up to speak and looked over at them I just about choked up.  Curtis and I have been orphans our whole marriage so it is always so special to have some family members come and support us.  Lucy, Isaac and Daniel and the Allen and Hansen younger kids all sang "A Child's Prayer" together.  It was beautiful and just so sweet and really helped to bring the spirit right before Lucy was baptized.  Jonah performed the baptism and he did a great job.  Our awesome home teachers, Shane Jasperson and Greg Sorensen were the witnesses.  We love those guys!  While Lucy changed, Curtis played a couple of short videos.  I'll link them below because they are so well done.  "My Joy is Full" is probably my favorite church video ever.

Lucy was given the gift of the Holy Ghost by Curtis, Jim, Bill and Dale Smith in our bishopric.  It was just sweet.  Then her teacher, Mel Fillerup and our Primary president, Katie Park both gave simple testimonies.  Lucy requested that these two speak- she loves them both and they have done such a wonderful job of teaching and loving her!

We sang "When I am Baptized" and "I'm Trying to be like Jesus" with my dear friend, Jana Rice leading and Mary Tait on piano.  I realized at I looked around at the room that the Katy 2nd Ward has truly become our family and we just love them so much!  We ate muffins and fruit and donut holes afterward and took a few family pictures.  It was a perfect day! :)

The Coat

My Joy Is Full

Baptism of Jesus

Katy Stake Trek Spring Break 2016

Curtis and I were asked to be a ma and pa for Trek this year.  Our stake puts on a Trek every 4 years so each teen gets an opportunity to go once.  This year everything was set.  So much work had gone into the preparation for this event.  Then it started raining.  And Texas received record flooding.  The areas where we were supposed to hike were under 8 feet of water.  There was talk about cancelling.  Then it went down to 4 feet and then 2.  Our fearless leaders decided we should go ahead but change the route a bit.  

Preparing was a lot of work, even for us mas and pas.  We had to get our gear together.  We spent a lot of time worrying about shoes but in the end just wore tennis shoes and brought an extra pair and lots of socks.  This worked perfectly.  We were also supposed to hold activities and get to know our kids.  We had 13 of them, which is a little larger than ideal.  Our group was amazing.  Honestly the best kids ever.  We loved them all and just had a great time getting to know them.  They were kind to each other and patient.  No complaining at all and lots of singing and friendly roasting.  And yes we had a rice bag baby.  It was actually quite tiring holding that little baby.  We all took turns- wish I had thought to bring one of my old slings.  :)  Each baby was based on a real baby who traveled with the pioneers.  Some did not make it.  Ours had a miraculous story of dying but being revived.  

Another special moment was the women's pull.  The boys and men were called away during the most treacherous parts of the trail.  It was a silent pull so there was no talking.  Some of the girls from our family went back to help another wagon that was stuck.  There was a steep hill where only 3 of us were pulling (plus carrying the baby).  We almost went backwards but managed to hang on.  Curtis said it was very difficult to watch but not be able to help. 
One afternoon we had games and a square dance.  So fun!  There was a bull ride and archery and a hair washing station, taffy making and races.  We all had a great time.
The weather could not have been more perfect.  Not too hot or cold.  And no rain, except for a little right before we left.  Roughing it is a great reminder about how much we have to be grateful for.  It also gives us a small amount of empathy for the early saints of our faith.  We heard many powerful stories of faith and fortitude.  In a day when college students can often be found in footed pajamas and arrested development is pretty much a pandemic, I think fortitude is a trait we could all work on. 

















There was great music (including an awesome rendition of "Down to the River to Pray" and "Come Thou Fount") and we all enjoyed singing together. Jonah was in a different family but in our same company so we got to see him. He had a great time.  I honestly didn't hear any kid say anything other than they loved it.  No one complained about it being too hard either.  I think these young people enjoy being challenged.  They feel respected when they face a difficult task and rise to it.  I'm so thankful we went.  Curtis and I were definitely blessed to be a part of it.  I love my church.  There are so many inspired programs and activities that I get to participate in.  I wish everyone had access to this kind of network that we Mormons have.  

I'm grateful for faithful early latter day saints who were unwavering in their belief and constant in their obedience.  These are not traits that are admired today.  Words like sheeple and blind faith get thrown around whenever you talk about obedience or submission.  But they've missed the whole point of Christ's message.  He submitted to the will of the Father.  He said again and again that the servant is the greatest and the first would be last and vv.  He could've confounded those who put him on trial but remained quiet.  His humble birth and life was no coincidence.  He was always teaching us how to be.  Reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures:

Alma 37:6
"...behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise."

And a Tolkien quote that I LOVE:

Peace

I got to speak in church a couple of weeks ago and as always benefitted more than anyone else from the experience.  Posting it below:

Good afternoon!  It's great to speak today- I always get a little nervous but have really appreciated the opportunity to work on a talk.  It's fun that Curtis and I are both speaking today and we don't have any toddlers making it impossible for us to both be up here.  Appreciate our kids holding down the row.  :)  Just for fun I'll give a brief introduction of our family.  We have lived in this ward for the last 7 years.  It took us awhile to acclimate to Texas but we really love it here and especially love this congregation- you've become our family.  Curtis and I met through a mutual friend when I was at BYU and and he was at UBC.  I still have the journal entry from the weekend we met- something about meeting the coolest guy but we will probably never see each other again.  But here we are, 17 wonderful years and 4 kids later.  I thank Heavenly Father everyday for these 5 people in my life!  We think it might be official- we've been Texified.  Not sure if I could ever handle another icy Michigan or absurdly long Minnesota winter.  So we might be here to stay.  :)

Well Brother deGraaf didn't assign me a topic so choosing was sort of a struggle.  There were a few things I wanted to speak about but I kept coming back to the topic of "Personal Peace."  

1) Peace signs are popular as are one line slogans like "war is not the answer" and "coexist" It only takes a few clicks on your computer to see that we are no where near the lofty goal of world peace though.  This can be depressing but let's look at the scriptures.  Matthew 10:34 Chirst says "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth." D&c 1:35 says that peace shall be taken from the earth.  But Christ promises peace as the fruit of the spirit and he is called "the prince of  peace."

2) the peace that Christ offers is Personal peace and it is attainable in this world.  It's actually critical not just a perk. Personal peace is a deep abiding comfort and confidence in our Father's Plan and in knowing that Christ has overcome the world.  President Heber J. Grant described the Savior’s peace this way: “His peace will ease our suffering, bind up our broken hearts, blot out our hates, engender in our breasts a love of fellow men that will suffuse our souls with calm and happiness. I don't know about you but a soul suffused with calm and happiness sounds amazing. 

3) The world, as always, offers a counterfeit version: pleasure, money, power, luxury vacations, spa treatments and buying more stuff but ultimately these things do not bring lasting peace and they can even create new stresses in our lives.  

4) Peace through Christ is manifest through the Holy Ghost.  Helaman 5:30 describes it beautifully: Perfect voice of stillness, mild but piercing.  How long has it been since you've felt that voice?  There are things we can to do in order to hear and feel the peace I'm talking about:

~ slow down, we are so busy racing from one activity to another that we are making important phone calls while driving and eating and using sign language to prepare our kids for the daily schedule.  And aside from the obvious physical danger that you may experience on the freeways this hyper business can also be devastating to our souls.  We desperately need time to quietly meditate, pray and turn our hearts to our Father in Heaven.  Words like ponder, deliberate, reflect... have become almost extinct in a society that worships traits like smooth talking, decisive, witty and charismatic.  There has been a real shift in our culture as far as which qualities we admire in people.  

~ don't go a day without talking to Heavenly Father and reading his word.  You wouldn't think of having your family skip breakfast.  and lunch.  and dinner right? and spiritual nourishment is even more critical than physical nourishment.  There are so many dailies that we need to do but prayer and scripture study is SO much more important than homework or piano practice or even (gasp) brushing your teeth!! 

~ Keep the commandments,  In this there is safety, in this there is peace.  When we realize that the commandments are there to help us avoid suffering, contention, pain and guilt- it becomes much easier to want to keep them.  I've had several people remark about the word of wisdom and how it's odd that we are asked to abstain from alcohol when it is clear that alcohol was consumed in the scriptures.  My answer to that is probably that alcohol is not inherently evil but God knows more than we do and knows that in our day we will have more peace and security if we just avoid it. Think of the time and toll that sin takes on us.  If we for example stretch a truth a little or cheat or work out a financial arrangement in a way that we know is dishonest... Now we have that swirling around in our heads and we have to spend time rationalizing why we did it and maybe we spend some more time looking around at others are doing it even more so we can feel better... all of this is robbing our souls of the precious peace and confidence that comes from doing our best to keep the commandments and repenting quickly and fully when we mess up

~ Peace can come to us through good music, nature, time at the temple and time serving others.  Take time for these impt activities.  I wasn't sure what to speak on at first but came to church and we sang:  "Be Still my Soul." Then the next week it was "Where can i turn for peace?"  Music is one of the most powerful ways that God communicates to us!

5) The last thing I want to mention is that peace is possible, even admidst life's greatest storms.  I have watched my own mother suffer such pain through some of the choices and circumstances with her children.  I am blown away at the serenity that she is able to find and hold on to.  I'm not suggesting she isn't affected because she most definitely is, but her faith anchors her and affords her a kind of peace that the world simply is not able to provide.  No therapist or amount of time walking int the mountains or eating organic berries or even doing yoga (and I love yoga) can offer the peace I am talking about.  It is the still quiet comforting reminder that this is not our home.  That we are strangers here and our souls long to be with our Heavenly Family.  This peace reminds us that being on earth is a little like looking in a funhouse mirror.  It's distorted and things that seem really important aren't at all and trials that seem to go on and on will feel like a small moment when we have better perspective.  The peace I'm talking about reminds us that Jesus Christ overcame death and sin.  Christ made it very clear that he did not come to establish peace and in fact in the very time that his birth was being heralded by angels singing "Glory to God, Peace on Earth" Kind Herod was slaughtering innocent babies.  Christ assured his disciples that they would have tribulation in the world but He also promised His peace.  Testimony and part of one of my favorite poems by William Wordsworth:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home

Spring

Ahhh spring. So in Texas we are in full on spring mode. This Redbud tree is my favorite! They bloom purple in the spring and have really beautiful full leaves until winter.

Curtis and I have been working so much in the yard the last couple of weeks. Trying to get everything done before it gets too hot. We really need a hedge or some trees to give us privacy from the neighbors that built their house RIGHT next to ours. The problem is that the ground in that area is sorta wet (again, thanks to said neighbors who also had their lawn built up 4 inches higher than ours so ALL their drainage comes into our yard. arghh!)

Anyway, we've spent a lot of time looking online and visiting tree nurseries and just talking about it. I love plants and planting and someday I would love to work at a nursery and learn about every plant there. I just realized this past weekend that I totally take it for granted that Curtis talks about this stuff with me and enjoys it too. Between all the yardwork and watching the last season of "24" we've had a lot of fun minidates. Love that guy.

So the bad news is that the kids are slammed with allergies. I'm taking Isaac to the allergist tomorrow and will probably start giving him shots. I'm not excited to start down that long road but the poor guy is seriously miserable. Hoping he can find some relief. Jonah and Lucy have been suffering too. Actually the only person in our home who appears to be impervious to illness of any kind is Daniel. No cavities, gets a cold once a year and knock on wood- has no allergies.

I'm looking forward to General Conference this weekend. Usually I start prepping for GC at about 10 am on Saturday morning. I find myself trying to cook some special foods, print out bingo cards for the kids and set up the TV room so it is comfortable for the family. It usually doesn't go very well and I end up missing part of the first session. This time I'm trying to prepare a little earlier. Tomorrow we're having a net put over our pool so I will be home all day and can hopefully get all that stuff prepared early.

The last couple of years we have invited a family or two over to watch the last Sunday afternoon session and then we all eat dinner together. It has been a lot of fun and helps us all to listen a little better (or worse I guess when you consider that fact that there are a dozen or so kiddos squriming around). So I think we'll do that again. I'll try to print off a little packet for each kid and have colored pencils sharpened.

Here's a pic from back in the day (actually it was 2005). We were "watching" conference on our computer in the basement of our MN home. The boys were bored and Daddy looked weak.

Any other ideas?

Okay I just made up my dinner list for the week and need to head off to HEB. Hope everyone is having a great day. :)

Lesser known hymns

Our church schedule is 1-4pm this year. If I wasn't the nursery leader I would actually love that time. It's nice to have a slow morning. I try to make something in the crock pot for dinner (today we're having beef stew- suggestions for future meals WELCOME). I have finallly realized that the kids are much better behaved if we have an early breakfast and then are sure to have a decent lunch before we leave.

For the first few Sundays of 2011 we had a big breakfast around 10 or 10:30 but nothing else and everyone was miserable about halfway thru sacrament meeting. Sometimes we even just eat PBJ's and oranges in the car on the way to church. We've also been leaving a few minutes early so we can drive around for a bit and let Lucy fall asleep. Then she will sleep for the first hour of church and not have some crazy 4:30pm nap, throwing off our entire schedule!!

Nursery is pretty tough as most of the kids are sleepy but I really do love working with little ones so it's all good.

Anyway, this morning I've been playing the piano. I haven't been practicing lately- mostly because Lucy starts to attack almost immediately when I'm playing. :) Jonah and Isaac are both taking lessons from a wonderful lady at church and so they compete for piano time as well. Not complaining about that! I really hope each of my kids will at least be able to read music and play a few hymns. Which brings me to the title of this post. I have come across a few beautiful hymns in the last couple of years. I never hear them in church but they are awesome. Thought I would share.

The first one is "Thy Holy Word." You can listen to it on the link. I LOVE the 3rd measure of the second line, especially the bass clef. Simply but so beautiful.

Another great song is "Sabbath Day." There are some great disonant chords in it. I've heard the motab sing it a few times and it is gorgeous!

In the Children's Song book is one called "The Commandments." The online version pretty much butchers it but I think you can get a feel for the harmony.

Lucy found me-gotta run. Happy Sunday