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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thankfulness remembered


Years ago in Memphis we had three small busy boys (5,5,almost 3). We also had a really great babysitter. Amanda Slauson. One Thanksgiving while babysitting she had the boys make this list of things they were thankful for. We keep it in Rustin's journal.

In case you can't read it here are a couple favorites:

#3--Austey
#14--being able to go to the park
#15--being able to climb really big dirt hills
#16 When Landon fell down the dirt hills at the park he didn't die (seriously that was a minor miracle--very high and steep dirt hills!)


#19--not having to walk to school (Dallin)
#20 Not missing the bus (Landon)
#21--missing the bus because then we get to ride with Mommy and Daddy (Dallin)

#23--that we have arms
#25--"that the pioneers could make it"

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

perfect November


We have had the prefect fall weather around here. There is frost on the windows in the morning but it has been in the sixties every day this week. Yesterday I took the kids down to Shoshone falls park with our good friends the McCurdys. There is actually a lot of water right now. The boys had fun playing mountain goat up all the steep side trails. Then they all played tag.

In other not so exciting happenings: I made a new job chart that the kids are doing really well with. It kills two birds with one stone--they all get their own Christmas money (we like them to spend their own money) and we get all the jobs done. As soon as I get my camera charged up I will have to take a pic so I can remember it!

We also moved ALL the toys downstairs at the kids request so they can keep their rooms clean more easily. I have a feeling that this may be death to the tidiness of the family room but we'll hope for the best.


Jenna's doing great with violin. Benson not so much. He likes the rhythms but doesn't like the actual violin practice(very squeaky!). He still hasn't figured out the potty either. As he says--we just keep trying (Help!)!

The boys and I just finished reading "The Fire of the Covenant" about the handcart companies. It had us all in tears and was a really inspiring story. We just started a new series about the Nephites at the time of Samuel the Lamenite. So far so good... I'm still working on getting everything in the house organized and I can't wait to go see Twilight on Friday for my mom's birthday!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Veterans Day etc.



We went to my dad's symphony concert last night. I love small town symphonies. It really was one of their best concerts that I've been to. They played a medley at the beginning that included the theme songs of each of the branches of service and they invited the veterans present to stand during their branch. For some reason it almost moved me to tears. So many old wrinkled faces along side the young ones. And of course seeing my dad stand always brings back a lot of childhood memories. I am really grateful for the memories I have of the military. Big thanks to Mom and Dad. The music was beautiful, the kids did great (Dallin, Austin and Jenna) and we were uplifted. A great night. And happy birthday to Kenj. And Dad today. And Bro A a couple of days ago.


Speaking of Brother A., I took my activity girls out to his house last Thursday to rake leaves. He told me when I got there that he didn't really need their help that much because he could use his lawn mower to blow the leaves. I told him that we really weren't there because his leaves needed raked--we were there because some girls needed to rake leaves. I think he needed us more than he knows. I used the blower to blow a couple of decades of spider webs off the windows. You can thank me later Beck. We seriously need to have a family service project out there in the spring and we need to do some cleaning. I think it would be fun. He sure is spry and fun for what 85? Who's counting!

The kids are doing well. We have had a few rough Sundays (they actually made me cry two weeks ago...)but I am determined to get on top of this and make it a really nice day of worship. Any ideas are totally welcome! Mostly, how do I keep wiggly kids still (not the four-year-old,the eight-year-old) and how do you separate them when there's only one parent? And I'm trying to get a good traditional Christmas choir concert for Sac meeting if anyone has any ideas I could use those too.

We don't have any pictures lately because I can't find the charger for my camera. It will turn up one of these days. In the mean time we can't wait for Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

I love talent in the family...

I don't have a gift for art but fortunately for our children Rustin and his family do. Darren and Loalee came over last week for a visit. It is always fun to have them over. We watched their dog Clancy for a week which was also fun. They are always working on a hobby of some sort. Porcelain dolls, wood projects, toll painting etc. Right now Loalee is scrap booking and Darren is making beautiful natural wreaths. I got to swipe a few decorations from the Halloween box last year so it looks like we have some creative ability at our house. I think it's great.



This is one of the first projects I ever made. Rustin and I were just married and we went to the old house in Franklin to visit. We were sitting on the couch and Loalee just said "lets make a project." So Darren cut it out and we painted and finished the whole thing. It's a very fond memory.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Silver lining

*I better qualify these comments. They are just my own personal thoughts. I wrote them down so I can remember them. I'm sure Rustin would have entirely different points if he were writing. He is much more politically minded than I am. But he doesn't have a blog...:)**

I lay in bed last night thinking of all the reasons I would tell people I didn't vote for Barak Obama. And all the reasons I was shocked to realize many I know and love did vote for Obama. My mind rambled from Obama's blatant disregard for the laws of God in regard to abortion (he voted for partial birth abortions--he was even more liberal on this subject than Ted Kennedy--what does that say!) and his support of same sex marriage, to his theory of redistribution of wealth and his statement on Monday that he would "tax all the coal mines into bankruptcy." Does he have any idea what that would do to an already destitute Navajo Nation not to mention the power shortages that his precious Hollywood celebrities will experience?

I wouldn't say that McCain was a good choice either, but the fact that this president will likely nominate three or four supreme court justices and cute little Sarah Palin, were enough to tip the scales to the republican side of the issue for us. I knew Obama would win but I, could not, in good conscience, vote for such far left ideals as possessed by Obama. I was distressed to find that some of my friends didn't see things from my perspective.

However, this morning I woke up and watched a minute of the morning news coverage and I saw the crowds and crowds of crying celebrating people--both black and white--and I realized that there may yet be some good come out of all this.

One of the saddest things that I realized in Memphis was that there was an entire culture of people who were cheating themselves out of success because they thought they lived in an unfairly balanced world that could never be overcome. But as I watched Obama today, I realized that there are no more excuses. Maybe this is just what the struggling black families of the inner city areas need to see. There aren't any excuses for failing. Anything is possible no matter what your skin color. There is no excuse for ignorance and lack of self control. There's no one to blame. Maybe we'll see more people get out there and be the parents that the last generation didn't know how to be.

I also had some insight into Obama's thinking a little bit. Dallin is doing a project about Robert E. Lee from the confederacy. I have learned a lot about that man. He really was a good man who fought for the "wrong" side because he couldn't bare to raise his arm against his family and home. For many in the south, the war was not about slavery but about state's rights. The southern states thought they had the right to do whatever they wanted without interference from the government.

The problem was that there are limits to rights. Life and liberty for all being foremost of those limits. Slavery crossed the line. It had to be stopped. Obama is from a group that really has no tolerance for anyone taking away individual rights. I can understand why. However, I think they take it too far (life and liberty) when they completely support really radical versions of abortion (like leaving a breathing infant in a linen closet to die after a partial birth abortion, as testified by a nurse to congress). To me, some abortion issues are obviously clear cut. Others not so much. But I think I understand where the thinking is coming from. The issues are complicated and extremely complex. How is it that some will go to the ends of the earth to allow a gruesome abortion but won't let people buy the weapons of their own choice. hmmm. Some debates are looming. But I can at least see some purpose in some of the reasoning. That makes me understand Obama---and maybe even like him. Well maybe not like, but tolerate. Just a little tiny bit.