Wesley In India

Wesley has been in West Bengal, India, for the past few weeks. He left with his YMAD group (Youth Making a Difference) on November 17th. 

They have an instagram page and have shared beautiful pictures of the YMAD kids and the children from the school.

He will be home on Sunday morning, we're excited to see him!!  

We don't doubt that he's had an amazing experience!

I've taken screen shots of all the instgram pictures with Wesley in it - 

But all the photos are beautiful - I love the vibrant colors of everyone's clothes. 

I don't really know what they did there, other then help at a girls' school. 

Wesley leading a song in PE?

Maybe after he gets back I'll come back and update this with names of any of these people. 

But as for me, here's another picture of Wesley and "people"

Did you know that our former neighbor and one of the current 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, Elder D. Todd Chrisofferson, was just in India? He was there in Pune a the World Peace Dome for the unveiling of a statue of Joseph Smith. Pretty cool!

Elder Christofferson was there in 2017 too, accepting a World Peace Prize on behalf of the church. I wonder if Wesley will be called to serve a mission in India! If he does, you heard it here first!

Practice Bingo & Blog Books

We got some good snow yesterday and today. Yesterday Corey came home from work early so I could take his car to violin, and I was so glad, cause it was a crazy sliding mess on Wasatch and that would have been me in the van had I taken the van. It was bad everywhere. It took us 45 min to get to violin and before we came home, I went fresh market in Holladay and got several weeks worth of Pink Lady apples for myself. The stores have ALL been out of pink lady apples - Target, Smiths, and Walmart. I  decided we need to plant some pink lady apple trees for our future food security. I have been very sad for the past two weeks that they were all gone everywhere, but I found them by chance after violin last week at a store in Holladay. I got like 40 today, so now I'm ready for winter. More snow came last night and I shoveled the driveway this morning for my exercise. I took Lily to jazz band this morning and the freeway was at a standstill with traffic - a few drivers in little sedans that were slipping and sliding everywhere, and a bus had stalled or something. With the snow I didn't go climbing today, but I DID go yesterday in the morning with Corey. Corey and I both like taking Lily to jazz band now. Corey commented "We went from neither of us wanting to go, to both of us wanting to!" haha, hooray for Momentum, and yay that Abi stayed home sick yesterday and was able to babysit. So yesterday I did the pink V1 - and I did it twice! Once on my own and I was able to do it again with Corey watching. There are more to try next time, but I'm really proud of how good I did! My fingers, palms, and muscles are getting stronger and tougher. Climbing is definitely more fun than just lifting weights at the gym, and it's interesting too. 

A neighbor offered a few tickets to the Savior of the World play tonight and Corey took Lily, Natalie, and Owen, and they picked up Abi from GMS and went to go see it (Corey stayed in the lobby and worked). Owen seemed to feel like he had been tricked into going, cause it wasn't fun. "That was sooo boooring..." He's a good kid. For the Thanksgiving break, Owen's trumpet teacher had given him a "bingo" chart for his review songs. It was really cute and it helped him enjoy that part of practicing. He got bingo by playing his trumpet laying down...

and playing it in the bathroom... (this bingo practice chart doesn't work for piano players, ha)

He played a concert for his stuffed animals, played a song outside, played along with the cd, a few other squares were to play with pinky up, on the shortcut, as fast as possible, with pinky up, play as slow as possible, and stuff like that. Owen used his free space today too. It is cute. Owen is a good little trumpet student. The pocket trumpet is getting a bit small for him, so we'll probably get him a cornet trumpet soon. 

Another thing from yesterday - I was going to run errands, but had a change of plans when Mel told me there was a blog2print cyber Monday deal (promo code HOLIDAYSHOP gave 50% off!) So I worked on that until 2:00, then, since Abi was home, and I ran out quickly to find a new white tree. Abi insisted I go try to find a new one, since our old one has busted lights and the base is messed up too, has been for a few years. So I did that, went to Home Depot, then Lowe's, then Walmart, success at Walmart, yay. Back home I focused the rest of my time finishing the blog books and Abi got the tree up. The deal expired at midnight, but I finished books for Joseph, Melodie, and Ethan of their mission blogs, and I also got two for us of 2020-21 and 2021, I still probably have enough blogged to fill two more books, I could order (2021-2022 and 2022) but I'll do those later next time there is a 50% off deal. There will probably be one in January for the new year. But yeah, it was a little painful - cause Melodie's book, when I went to review it, EVERY EMOJI she used in any of her letters was a full size photo! So I had to delete her book, then go back to her blog and I went though every post to delete her emojis... I probably missed a few, but I called it good, then uploaded it again, and so I was able to do hers and Josephs and it was getting late, but I did Ethan's too - but I asked him for his opinion on a few things, like photo images and book cover color (I didn't ask J and M) and so he couldn't decide and at 11:30 pm I was done and said he better say what he wanted cause I had to finish up. I think they will look nice. I had planned to make those back in September, but I never did, so I wasn't sure I was going to do them for Christmas after all, but good job to the Blog2print advertising committee, you pulled me in with a deal I couldn't resist, and amazingly I got it all done and they should be here by Christmas. They were still pretty expensive, even with 50% off, so those will be their main gifts at Christmas, but it will be good. Good job me for my labor of love in putting those online. I mostly did the blogs so I could print a book for them. I'd like a book of my and Corey's mission letters, but sadly, those are all handwritten. They are in a filing cabinet downstairs at the moment, so I have a lot of work to do before I can print up books for us. Someday. 

Speaking In Church On Gratitude

Corey and I spoke in sacrament meeting today. We had a fun view of the kids from the stand. Corey tried to discretely take a photo (Wesley was over at the sacrament table, and I guess two girls were out of view because of the pulpit, sorry Lily and Sophi!) (Katharine is so cute!)

Our topic was gratitude. Corey's talk was awesome. I will paste it at the bottom of this post after I ramble for a minute (if he sends it to me). I can't share my talk, cause it was not put together in coherent form. Here were my notes like an hour before church (I resorted to cutting and pasting the different attempts I had made to write up a talk...) 

Lily was sitting on the floor next to me - she was trying to get help preparing for her teaching a lesson in young women's class, but I wasn't much help since I was working on my talk. My message was a bit jumbled in my head and written form, but it came out ok I think. I started my message with things that Dennis Prager shared at the beginning of this video. That video helped me years ago when I was first learning about my gratitude problem. The video has since been updated. I had so many thoughts and tried a few times to write it up, then to make an outline, but ended up kinda just walking up there not exactly sure everything that I would say in the 15 minutes I had to share. I talked about how I've struggled with gratitude for a good portion of the past 10+ years. I think I first became aware of it during our first few months in Brazil in 2007. I shared some of my trials and bad attitude when we were there, like the water pump to our house breaking and having to flush the toilets with water we collected from the rain gutters, washing clothes by hand, our kitchen stovetop and oven both had to be lit with a match! Just lots of stupid problems and my attitude didn't help. I read Mary Ellen Edmunds' book "The Quest for Contentment" and it helped a little bit. Also Elder Holland's talk "The Tongue of Angels" - "No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse." 

After we were back in the US from 2007 - 2010, I had Walmart and Costco again, but my bad attitude was a habit now and the gray clouds were still all around me. Even though our temporal circumstances had improved, I was unhappy - I remember stressing about paying rent a lot, and Corey once called me out on it and said how we've always been able to pay it each month, and my stress wasn't helping... either I didn't trust him or I didn't trust the Lord. I pondered that, I think he was right, but I still struggled with complaining and murmuring, even if most of it was in my head. Now I know it's no surprise that I was unhappy, because ingratitude leads to unhappiness!

Then in Costa Rica in 2010, I was complaining again, this time about having a maid, and Corey told me it sounded to him like I was being ungrateful. It took President Monson's general conference address that October 2010 on (you guessed it) GRATITUDE for me to accept that it was true and begin to try and repent. And really, my trials at all of those times were so small compared to those faced by others, like Stephanie Nielsen or Chris Williams. My did have my closing thoughts written out: 

Trials are blessings in disguise if we accept them with humility, faith, and fortitude. All that we suffer and endure with patience will build within us a more charitable and tender person, having acquired the education we came on earth to receive.

God help us to be grateful for our blessings and our trials. The Lord has said, “And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more” (D&C 78:19).

This great principle of gratitude, made a daily part of our lives and our prayers, can lift and bless us as individuals, as members of the Church, and as parents and families.

This testimony, I bear humbly and in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Corey said it was good. I was glad that I went first so that I could sit and enjoy listening to his talk. Corey's great, and I love the life that we have been given. It was fun to have the college kids home to listen to it. Corey said a lot of his thoughts were for Ethan. 

The kids put up the tree today after church. 

They do a good job. Mel is sitting on the couch there with Katharine. I think Abi was bringing up the last/top part of the tree. Sophi, Lily and Natalie are there pulling down the branches. We enjoyed hanging out with all the kids after church. Life is good. 

Back Home

We got back from Park City yesterday. It was a great time up there, and I'm always thankful to be back home. Yesterday the kids were lost in a game of "Family" in the basement.

It was really cute to see them play. Here's Peter ready to go to school, with a back pack that reached the floor behind him. 

It kinda looked like a turtle shell on him. The kids each had brown lunch sacks with fake food in it - so funny. 

We got a few photos of Wes in India off of an instagram account they made for the kids. He has been in India for one week, and has another week to go. They had a few group photos, but you can hardly see Wes, so we'll just go with this close up of him traveling to India on Nov 17th at 5 am.

Taking a stop in Singapore. 

Lily and I just got back from climbing, and here is my second BeReal from there - 

It's pretty fun! We're trying out a month pass to see how much we use it. Maybe we'll be come a climbing family. We'll see if we use it enough and the kids like it. I've been trying to blog this week too, but perhaps I've been using climbing and blogging as a nervous distraction cause Corey and I are speaking in sacrament meeting on Sunday and I really should be preparing more. The topic is Gratitude. I hope it turns out ok, cause my thoughts are everywhere! Perhaps I'm being like Calvin "You can't turn on creativity like a faucet, you have to be in the right mood..." Hobbs "What mood is that?" Calvin: "Last minute panic." 

Thanksgiving Feast

We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving Feast today. For our food assignments, we were to bring stuffing, a green salad, and a jello salad. Melodie helped me out and she was in charge of doing the Frog Eye Salad. She did a great job. We ate around 1:00 down in Corey's parents room. They and Corey's brother Mark had everything set up - 

There were a few different levels of tables - the main adult table below, the seniors in high school and older table above -

And the younger kids were all in the doorway, which was a bonus in this room at the end of the hallway. I don't know if someone asked for this room or if we just got lucky, but it worked out well. Especially since this doorway had tile floor, and the kids spilled on it, so yay, we didn't mess up carpet. 

and the little boys at this table against the wall. 

 

So that's where everyone ate. The stuffing I made was ok, only I realized as I was making it that the onions that I thought I brought must have been left on the counter at home, cause I couldn't find them anywhere. Mark donated a few of his onions from inside his turkeys. Note: buy stuffing mixes at Costco, NOT Walmart. The Stovetop ones were not good. Yay that I got some Mrs. Cubbison ones at Costco. We had a nice meal and good visit, Hyrum called and I talked to him for a bit. Corey and I both got BeReal today. Here's my first BeReal, yay!

Back in our room - Loving on my beautiful baby - 

After our early dinner, we played games as everyone waited for their tummy's to settle and have room for dessert. 

Playing 5000. Katharine wanted to eat the dice. 

This evening there was more swimming with our cute Katharine!

She's so chubby!

Melodie in Big Sister Heaven!

It's really nice having so many older nieces and nephews around to help watch all of our little kids. Daniel and Owen wanted to go swimming a lot, and thankfully there was always someone willing to take them. After games and swimming, there was a pie buffet provided by Isaac. I took a piece of key lime pie that I'm going to enjoy tomorrow morning. I did a great job not overeating, thanks to Laura Dixon's Thin Holidays podcast, which I thought was so good and helpful for me. Most of my children went to bed feeling full and sick, such as Ethan here...

We joked that he was feeling labor pains. His third thanksgiving feast forced him into his third trimester early. 

The moaning was a bit much, but I get it. It's a tradition to eat yourself sick. I didn't do it though, and I feel so great. I think I'm going to reach a new weight low tomorrow, yay, go me. 

Park City Fun

We had a fun day at Park City. The highlight was taking Katharine to the hot tubs with the kids. 

As always, she was the center of attention.

She was so cute splashing! (The steam coming off of the hot tub made the quality a little blurry.)

She's everyone's favorite! Ethan and Daniel are twins, just born 14 years apart. 

After swimming, we continued with a tradition we started in Florida this past spring which started with putting all the remote controls in the safe after we checked in, and then NOT letting kids waste away their time sitting in their rooms to watching whatever random tv shows all day, and then we gathered and watched one movie together at night. Megamind was the voted show this evening. Katharine was making us laugh, so that was a little distracting, ha - 

Maybe she was just into the movie and found it suspenseful! It was a nailbiter, er... "table" biter

I'm sure it will inspire another post to Katharine's Instagram. Have I mentioned that she has an Instagram? Melodie and Abi started it at the end of October. They put cute pics and videos of her on it. I'll share a few of those in a post soon. What a world we live in - there are so many ways to document life! The college kids have been telling Corey and I about BeReal and that we should get it. Maybe we will, even if it's just for the peak into their life. The college kids seem to be enjoying time with their little brothers and sisters, especially Katharine. Ethan was throwing her on the bed today. I need to get the video from him, or have him start to upload them to youtube or something so I have access to their memories.

I spent a lot of time today blogging and trying to catch up on September. I did pretty good, I'm still behind and have a bit to do but yay for digging myself out of my hole. Another thing, this morning Katharine woke up and was being noisy, so I took her out into the hall so she wouldn't cry in the dark and wake up Corey and other vacationers. I listened to Choosing Glory for a bit - there were a few thoughts at minute 17 about blacks and the priesthood that I liked. Katharine played while I listened, then I took her down to a lobby and called Nicole (it's nice to have a friend in an earlier time zone) and we talked for an hour. 

I moved locations a few times. Katharine eventually fell back asleep.

Nicole and I briefly dreamed of having a business where we make super functional and multipurpose furniture, with storage and stuff. It was fun. Someday I hope she and I live closer together.

Looking forward to another nice day up here in Park City tomorrow.

School Reports

We are about to head up to Park City for a few days - ready to enjoy Thanksgiving with Corey's parents and siblings. Today was a good day of school and a good send off to the Thanksgiving Break. Sophi had a Native American project due yesterday, and today the parents were invited to come see all the displays. 

There was a cute little down syndrome boy in Sophi's class that was immediately drawn to Katharine and was loving on her, it was really sweet. I believe that special needs children have very special spirits about them. And Katharine being sweet to him in return confirmed that to me once again. 

I was glad that I had gone over there for Sophi's. I followed where other parents were going and learned that Natalie's class was also having their County Fair, so I went in there too. Yay that I get point for showing up for that, even though I didn't know about it! Natalie immediately snatched up Katharine -

Katharine REALLY wanted to learn about Weber County "Let me read it! I want to learn!"

I don't think Katharine made it easier for Natalie to share about her county though...

Natalie didn't seem to mind. 

After I killed a few moments walking around and trying to think of what to ask other kids about their counties, I went back to get Katharine, who had become a full blown distraction for the classroom girls.

It was cute. I came back home to start to try and pack things for Park City. A few other pics from today - Peter sleeping this morning, before I was forced to wake him to go to the school.

Katharine has started solid foods - and this is how I feed her. 

 

I bend my knees so her arms are loose, but I want to keep them down and unable to grab the spoon. And laying down on the ground allows gravity to help keep the food in her mouth. 

Ok, finishing up this post now - we are up at Park City, our kids favorite place to be. It's fun to have Joseph, Melodie, and Ethan all up here too!

Here's another one so you can see Mel and Corey. 

I got a swimsuit for Katharine at Kid to Kid, such a cute pants! I love how her legs almost form a little heart. She's our favorite.