So who makes a goal to post EVERYDAY this close to Christmas? What was I thinking? It has actually been nice to write about our comings and goings this busy holiday season; I've just found myself doing a lot of late night, drowsy blogging.
Tonight we went to the Christmas Sing-a-long that the Larry H. Miller family hosts at the Energy Solutions arena. It was actually really neat. It was almost a packed (that's a lot of people!), and everyone seemed in cheerful spirits. We went with Nic's family and had a good time together. There was an orchestra playing as we sang along. To hear an entire stadium singing Christmas songs together was really cool. We sang everything from Joy to the World to Frosty the Snowman. Jon Schmidt (?) also performed. It always amazes me to watch someone who is passionate about what they do perform. I think this would be another fun tradition to start to doing each year!
And now I am off to bed. I feel bad because I feel like this post sounds a little sub-par, but I'm tired, so it will have to do for now.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
On the sixth day before Christmas...
Today I was asked to share at church a Christmas poem that I wrote, so I thought for my post today, I would just share that with you. Hope you enjoy!
Mary’s Prayer
Mary quietly watches her slumbering child;
She rests her face against His so mild.
She gently whispers against His cheek in love
And pleads for Him to her Father above,
“Father in Heaven, I pray to Thee tonight
To give thanks to Thee for all that is right,
To give thanks for this Child asleep in a manger;
Oh, how I thank Thee for this sweet little stranger.”
She softly leans over and kisses his brow,
“Dear Father, bless me to show Him how—
How to obey and Thy servant be,
And once He has learned, to help others to see.
Look at His feet and ten tiny toes!
Bless Him with kindness wherever He goes.
See how both of His small hands fit in mine;
Bless these hands to do Thy work divine.
His cheeks are so rosy, His eyes so bright;
Bless Him always with Thy guiding light.
See the sweet smile on His tender face;
Bless Him to teach others of Thy loving Grace.”
Mary pauses, a tear in her eye.
She cradles her baby and says with a sigh,
“Father, I know He will lead a hard life;
Already it is full of heartache and strife.
I don’t know what trials He will face,
But if I could I would take His place.
I can’t hold Him forever in these arms of mine,
But when I’m not there wilt Thou hold Him in thine?
When I’m not there to give Him my love,
Shine Thy love down from Thy courts above.
This dear babe is most precious to me,
But if Thou asketh, I give Him to Thee.”
She rests her face against His so mild.
She gently whispers against His cheek in love
And pleads for Him to her Father above,
“Father in Heaven, I pray to Thee tonight
To give thanks to Thee for all that is right,
To give thanks for this Child asleep in a manger;
Oh, how I thank Thee for this sweet little stranger.”
She softly leans over and kisses his brow,
“Dear Father, bless me to show Him how—
How to obey and Thy servant be,
And once He has learned, to help others to see.
Look at His feet and ten tiny toes!
Bless Him with kindness wherever He goes.
See how both of His small hands fit in mine;
Bless these hands to do Thy work divine.
His cheeks are so rosy, His eyes so bright;
Bless Him always with Thy guiding light.
See the sweet smile on His tender face;
Bless Him to teach others of Thy loving Grace.”
Mary pauses, a tear in her eye.
She cradles her baby and says with a sigh,
“Father, I know He will lead a hard life;
Already it is full of heartache and strife.
I don’t know what trials He will face,
But if I could I would take His place.
I can’t hold Him forever in these arms of mine,
But when I’m not there wilt Thou hold Him in thine?
When I’m not there to give Him my love,
Shine Thy love down from Thy courts above.
This dear babe is most precious to me,
But if Thou asketh, I give Him to Thee.”
Saturday, December 18, 2010
On the seventh day before Christmas...
Busy morning preparations,
Football game with friends,
Big family party,
Tree decorating/tackling with family,
Laughing until my sides hurt,
Late night posting,
and off to bed for me!
Sorry for the short post. It has been a busy day. Better details later. For now, consider this a poetic post!
Football game with friends,
Big family party,
Tree decorating/tackling with family,
Laughing until my sides hurt,
Late night posting,
and off to bed for me!
Sorry for the short post. It has been a busy day. Better details later. For now, consider this a poetic post!
Friday, December 17, 2010
On the eighth day before Christmas...
Thoughts on parenting...
So every once-in-awhile I have these moments where I think, "I'm doing pretty good. I think I have this parenting thing down. We've made it this far and Sam is turning out pretty darn good..." These moments last for approximately five minutes at the most. Then along comes a new phase (current phase: screaming and tantrums), a new issue, a new tooth (molars)...you name it, and suddenly I find myself, once again, trying to get my head above the water in the sea of What-do-I-do-now-I-have-no-idea-what-I-am-doing. I am grateful for those brief moments of calm and assurance, and I am very grateful for parenting books and Google. (In all seriousness, I am very grateful for a patient and loving Heavenly Father. I can't imagine trying to figure all of this out without prayer and the Spirit!)
By the way, some day I am going to write a book entitled, Everything I Needed to Know about Parenting, I Learned at Obedience School. It will be a bestseller...
So every once-in-awhile I have these moments where I think, "I'm doing pretty good. I think I have this parenting thing down. We've made it this far and Sam is turning out pretty darn good..." These moments last for approximately five minutes at the most. Then along comes a new phase (current phase: screaming and tantrums), a new issue, a new tooth (molars)...you name it, and suddenly I find myself, once again, trying to get my head above the water in the sea of What-do-I-do-now-I-have-no-idea-what-I-am-doing. I am grateful for those brief moments of calm and assurance, and I am very grateful for parenting books and Google. (In all seriousness, I am very grateful for a patient and loving Heavenly Father. I can't imagine trying to figure all of this out without prayer and the Spirit!)
By the way, some day I am going to write a book entitled, Everything I Needed to Know about Parenting, I Learned at Obedience School. It will be a bestseller...
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Sam's Santa Experience
Sam is a fairly friendly kid. He likes most everyone. We didn't think he would have a problem with Santa Claus, especially because Santa looks a lot like his Papa J. Picture Porter Rockwell, and you've got a good idea of what Sam's Papa J looks like. Well, apparently we were wrong with our assumptions. These pictures are from the ward Christmas party last weekend...
Instant Not-Happy...
Still not happy...
"How could you do this to me?"
Not breathing...
Still not breathing...
And still not breathing...
Santa: "Perhaps you want to take your son before he passes out from lack of oxygen?"
I was laughing so hard. I will admit that there was a slight maternal instinct to save my baby, but this instinct was overridden by my laughing so hard my sides hurt.
Instant Not-Happy...
Still not happy...
"How could you do this to me?"
Not breathing...
Still not breathing...
And still not breathing...
Santa: "Perhaps you want to take your son before he passes out from lack of oxygen?"I was laughing so hard. I will admit that there was a slight maternal instinct to save my baby, but this instinct was overridden by my laughing so hard my sides hurt.
On the ninth day before Christmas...
I almost forgot to do a post today. Good thing for husbands to keep a girl on track! Today has been a really fun day. My mom and my Aunt Tina have this tradition where they get together every year and make Christmas candy to send out to their brothers. So Manda and I decided that we want to start a tradition like that too. Well, except for the send the goodies out thing...we decided it would be fun to make yummy treats and EAT yummy treats! Maybe we'll share, but I wouldn't put money on it. We made Martha Washington Balls (a southern treat that is easy to make and ta-asty!), we attempted to make English toffee (not for beginners, even if the recipe says that it is super easy...), and sugar cookies. It was so much fun hanging out with my sister. We chatted for hours and laughed so hard. We're saying that Sam decorated the cookies...that's our story and we're sticking to it.
Also today, we had the opportunity to have dinner with six couples from our ward. The two older couples hosted the get-together and are just such gracious and welcoming people. We had a great time getting to know different people, and happily, Sam didn't destroy the house! For the wiggle worm that he is, he actually did a really good job. Everyone just loves that kid! Sometimes I think that if we could send babies out as missionaries, we would really get the gospel to people. I love how Sam just accepts people and gives them love without hesitation (well, except for Santa the other day; there was no love there).
After dinner tonight (which was delicious!), we shared some memorable Christmases with everyone. I remembered how after Grandma Medina passed away, that first Christmas without her, my Aunt Tina found this shoe box with a bunch of Christmas cards for all the grandkids. Each card had a little 'love you from Grandma Ida' and a two dollar bill. It was just what I needed that year--to know that grandma was still there for me. It reminded me of the really important things in life--family. I'm so grateful that the Savior came for us and made it possible for us to return to our Heavenly Father and to be with our families for forever!
Also today, we had the opportunity to have dinner with six couples from our ward. The two older couples hosted the get-together and are just such gracious and welcoming people. We had a great time getting to know different people, and happily, Sam didn't destroy the house! For the wiggle worm that he is, he actually did a really good job. Everyone just loves that kid! Sometimes I think that if we could send babies out as missionaries, we would really get the gospel to people. I love how Sam just accepts people and gives them love without hesitation (well, except for Santa the other day; there was no love there).
After dinner tonight (which was delicious!), we shared some memorable Christmases with everyone. I remembered how after Grandma Medina passed away, that first Christmas without her, my Aunt Tina found this shoe box with a bunch of Christmas cards for all the grandkids. Each card had a little 'love you from Grandma Ida' and a two dollar bill. It was just what I needed that year--to know that grandma was still there for me. It reminded me of the really important things in life--family. I'm so grateful that the Savior came for us and made it possible for us to return to our Heavenly Father and to be with our families for forever!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
On the tenth day before Christmas...
What?! There are only ten days until Christmas? Let the get-everything-done-run-around-like-a-headless-chicken frenzy begin! It is tradition, after all.
Tonight I went to visit widows and widowers for our mutual activity. We live in an older ward that includes a retirement community, so there are few youth but plenty of grandparents. We had over sixty people to visit tonight, so we broke into groups. My group consisted of two young women and one other leader. We had eleven people to visit and had a great time. Tonight's experience reminded me of two things:
1. There are so many AMAZING people all around me. I am constantly awed by the kindness, the wisdom, the accomplishments, the spirituality, and strength of the people in my ward. Our ward isn't perfect, but I feel truly blessed to be in this ward right now. One of the women we visited tonight used to be a federal judge in Washington D.C. Of the first 100 women to pass the bar exam in Utah, she was number forty. Every time I meet someone new and hear their stories, I am just amazed. And Sam is so lucky to have so many 'grandparents'. It really feels like we have a community of people who care for and love our son, and that is greatly needed to raise a child in today's world.
2. Christmas can be so hard if your heart is hurting. When you are alone or feel lonely, it seems like Christmas just seems to accentuate that hurt. (Let it be noted that I can hardly get through Mr. Kruger's Christmas. That show is heart wrenching to me!) I know Christmas is a time of cheer and joy, but it can also be a time of heart ache if what you want most doesn't fit under a Christmas tree or can't be wrapped in shiny paper with a bow on top. I also remember how hard it was when I was struggling with infertility...all those songs about baby Jesus and lullabies, and my heart would break that I would never have the opportunity to be a mother. It sounds silly to me now, but I remember some Christmas songs would break me down to tears. I hope that I can be more mindful, not just during this season, but throughout the year of the struggles and hurts of others. I think that remembering the real reason for the season, that because Jesus came to this earth in a stable, no crib for his bed, for us to have joy, then we can find hope and comfort in struggles and in holidays.
Tonight I went to visit widows and widowers for our mutual activity. We live in an older ward that includes a retirement community, so there are few youth but plenty of grandparents. We had over sixty people to visit tonight, so we broke into groups. My group consisted of two young women and one other leader. We had eleven people to visit and had a great time. Tonight's experience reminded me of two things:
1. There are so many AMAZING people all around me. I am constantly awed by the kindness, the wisdom, the accomplishments, the spirituality, and strength of the people in my ward. Our ward isn't perfect, but I feel truly blessed to be in this ward right now. One of the women we visited tonight used to be a federal judge in Washington D.C. Of the first 100 women to pass the bar exam in Utah, she was number forty. Every time I meet someone new and hear their stories, I am just amazed. And Sam is so lucky to have so many 'grandparents'. It really feels like we have a community of people who care for and love our son, and that is greatly needed to raise a child in today's world.
2. Christmas can be so hard if your heart is hurting. When you are alone or feel lonely, it seems like Christmas just seems to accentuate that hurt. (Let it be noted that I can hardly get through Mr. Kruger's Christmas. That show is heart wrenching to me!) I know Christmas is a time of cheer and joy, but it can also be a time of heart ache if what you want most doesn't fit under a Christmas tree or can't be wrapped in shiny paper with a bow on top. I also remember how hard it was when I was struggling with infertility...all those songs about baby Jesus and lullabies, and my heart would break that I would never have the opportunity to be a mother. It sounds silly to me now, but I remember some Christmas songs would break me down to tears. I hope that I can be more mindful, not just during this season, but throughout the year of the struggles and hurts of others. I think that remembering the real reason for the season, that because Jesus came to this earth in a stable, no crib for his bed, for us to have joy, then we can find hope and comfort in struggles and in holidays.
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