Best Daughter Ever!

When I pick up my phone, I never know what I will find as my wallpaper.  It changes every day, sometimes more than once a day and it almost always makes me laugh.  My wonderful daughter loves to surprise me. Marianne is the queen of selfies and she has the greatest expressions. Where did she learn to make such fabulous faces?  I'm not sure, but I do know that several years ago she got the complete "I Love Lucy" series for Christmas.  I suspect that Lucy's funny faces and great acting skills have rubbed off on Marianne. And just so you know, she is an equal opportunity photo poster.  She often includes funny pictures of other family members, but her selfies are my favorites.  Here are a few of her recent (very successful) attempts to put a smile on her mom's face.

Lavender's One Year Photos

Photos and slide show by Judy Cook.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was rather quiet compared to our busy Saturday the day before.  Most of our family headed home on Saturday night and my brothers flew home on Sunday before church.  So things were as quiet as can be except for:

* Lavender's first time at church
* a big Sunday dinner at my sister's house
* a huge Easter egg hunt with lots of friends
and oh, yeah . . .

our futile attempts to get a picture of our three baby girls!

We seem to have forgotten that Lavender can't sit up by herself and Leighton needs a bit of help

Brianne didn't mind though. She entertained us with her dancing

We tried again . . .

Leighton wasn't sure what was happening

And nobody wanted to hold still

Brianne was tired

But we kept trying

 

Finally Lavender got mad

and insisted on a close up 

Eventually John brought her inside

Brianne went looking for a snack, but didn't like the taste of the "cheese" she found

 And I found an easier way to get a picture of those three beautiful dresses!

A huge to thanks to Molly for finding and buying our matching dresses.

She even drove all over town to find a newborn size for Lavender!

O, Remember, Remember

A few days ago I mentioned to my kids that the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 was coming up.  I recalled what a shock it had been to see the attack of the Twin Towers on TV.  I was surprised to find that my younger kids have no memory of that day. They understand the basics of what happened and we've taken them to see Ground Zero twice, but they still don't remember.

Then I remembered a book I purchased just a few months after 9/11.  It was a little pricey at the time and I debated the purchase.  I kept it on our coffee table for at least a year, but then it got put on the shelf in the garage where I store homeschool books we aren't currently using.  I was able to find the book, dust it off and show it to my kids.  It is essentially a photo essay of the attack and the impact on our country.  Marianne appreciated all the incredible photographs and poured over the book. She learned a few things along the way.  She didn't know that the Pentagon was also attacked.  I also spent some time with the book and I realized that there are many things I have forgotten.  I need to remember.  I want my children to remember.

Marianne and I just finished listening to the Book of Mormon together.  We did it quickly, in less than a month.  At that pace, the themes just jumped out at me.  One theme is the importance of remembering.  Another theme is that we are blessed to live in a choice land; it will be strong as long as we are righteous.  I pray that each of us, and our country as a whole, will remember and that our remembrance will cause us to turn to God.  I saw it happen 10 years ago and I know it can happen again.

Summer Highlights

What was the best part of our summer?
Well, that depends on who you ask!

One of the top contenders for "summer best" would be our trip to Utah for the 4th of July.  We spent some time with John's wonderful family, visited with my grandma and my Aunt Muff's family and headed to Wyoming for John's class reunion.  Several of John's classmates commented that he hasn't changed much since high school.  He took off his hat to show that he does have a little less on top these days, when one of his friends said, "Oh that doesn't make any difference.  John always wore a baseball cap back then too.  We couldn't see his hair anyway!"

Here is John in his baseball cap with his Aunt Ruth. Our niece Holly is in back.

Ruth is keeping a tight reign on the matches.

She actually called both the mayor and the police chief before letting the boys set off fireworks!

John with his sister Susan (left) and his cousin Connie (middle).

My kids favorite part of Wyoming can be summed up by this photo:

Fireworks and more fireworks!!

Here are a few more of our summer highlights.  These are from my point of view, so my kids may totally disagree.  (Kids, feel free to leave a comment with YOUR highlights.)

Aaron
Receiving his mission call
Taking lots of photos and creating amazing panoramic views
Going to the temple for the first time

Marianne
EFY at BYU Provo
Her 15th Birthday
Watching all of the Harry Potter movies
Spending time with the world's cutest and smartest baby

Brianne!

Evan
Scout Camp at Lake Arrowhead
A visit from his cousin Josh at the end of July
Watching lots of Doctor Who on Netflix
Making tons of amazing origami creations

Josh and Evan lighting smoke bombs

Whew!  That was a long post.  Aren't you glad I only shared the highlights?

Sweet Sunday - The Elephant in the Room

No, not that elephant.

This elephant!

This picture was taken a couple of days before our big garage sale.
Marianne had decided to donate the largest member of her elephant collection
and took a few farewell photos.
She also captured the disaster area that was my living room.
The couches were piled with baby clothes and the room was full of
hangers, cardboard boxes and bags full of (hopefully) saleable items.

The mess wouldn't have been so bad, except I was feeling "messy" inside.
I was overwhelmed, worried and sad.
The joy I strive to feel in life seemed pretty elusive,
I was even irritated by the (literal) elephant in the room.

I had already forgotten the joy I felt a few hours earlier
when Brianne stopped by for a quick elephant ride.

In that moment I had been very grateful for the elephant
and the joy it brought to my granddaughter.

The scriptures are full of admonitions to remember:

"Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth." 1 Chronicles 16:12

"And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ." Moroni 10:18

Sometimes it takes an elephant to help me remember, but remembering really does help me find the joy in life! Do you ever struggle to find joy in life? What helps you to remember?

"[Wo]men are, that they might have joy." 2 Nephi 2:25

Sweet Sunday - Mother's Day

Parenting Lessons from Mom
1. Be a parent, not a friend.
As an adult, mom was one of my dearest friends. But when I was a child and adolescent, my mom made it clear that she was the parent. She didn't worry that her kids wouldn't like her if she had strict rules or high standards. She expected her children to be respectful to her and other adults.

2. Unique, not equal.

Each of my mother's children think they are her favorite. Why? Mom never tried to treat us all equally, instead she raised us as unique individuals. Over the years, there were different curfews and individual rules. But there were also special trips, unique gifts and time alone with each of us. Dad gets credit for this one too!

3. Apologize and forgive.

Before her children could even speak she taught them to give hugs to say "sorry". Later she explained that it was sometimes best to apologize even if the other person was at fault. We learned that humility and love will open doors and heal relationships. Mom didn't just teach us this, she lived it.

4. Priorities.

Mom knew that children learn what is most important by watching their parents. Mom lived the gospel every day of her life. We saw her pray and study the scriptures daily. We saw her serve faithfully in her church callings and at the temple. We also knew that family was important because Mom put us first. Family time was special and extended family relationships were cherished. There was never a doubt that the Lord and the family were Mom's priorities.

I am grateful that my mom understood the sacred responsibility of motherhood. She is a great example to me!

Mom and me (about age 3)

on our front porch

Photography by Dad

My Week

I have finally entered the 21st century. I got an iphone. I've never even had an ipod before, so that's been my favorite part of my new phone. I am also having fun with the camera and the Hipstamatic app. So here's a view of my week . . .

Much of our week was spent on Two Gentlemen of Verona. We did two shows on Tuesday. First we performed for a small audience at a local charter school. Most of the kids were young, but they giggled and giggled and it was fun to see them "getting" Shakespeare. That night we performed at a church for mutual night. We had a huge audience--about 150 people. It was mostly teenagers and they were a really fun audience. They laughed like crazy!

Two shows meant a 12 hour day with lots of loading and unloading. Here I am carrying part of our set to the van. Why does it still have the price tag on it? Hope it wasn't visible onstage! Shonda looks very calm in the background. It's good to have calm people around!


Here is my friend Sheree's van fully loaded. She is an expert at fitting in everything and using blankets as padding so that nothing gets scratched.
We also got to spend some time with sweet Brianne this week. Here she is signing "more"


She already knows how to pose for the camera!

And speaking of posing, here I am with a rubber ducky. I think I must have been tired after all those performances.


My final picture was definitely not posed. It should be titled "Frustration". I think I picked the wrong week to insist that Evan increase his practice time.

Time for an Update

Aaron got to hear Condoleezza Rice speak at BYU last week. He even skipped his Book of Mormon class to stay for the Q & A session. Was it wrong of me to say, "Great choice son!"? Can you spot him in the crowd?

Maybe it's just my eyes, but I can't find him!
UPDATE: Take a look at the comments for this post!

Marianne has been taking lots of fantastic photographs. Have you seen her picture a day site? Take a look! Just click HERE.

Evan has spent the last 3 1/2 weeks playing with these non-stop. They really are cool!
As a bonus, you get a glimpse of the stool he built for the carpentry merit badge. It works well as a building/staging area for the magnets as long as you stay clear of the screws.


Brianne (in addition to being the world's cutest child prodigy) has learned to crawl! Ryan and Molly are busy working, swimming, teaching Primary and keeping up with her.



John is fully embracing his role as "Papa John" and was recently seen flying his granddaughter around the cemetery while chasing cousins.


Me? Well, I am embarrassed to admit that I have succumbed to product placement marketing. I actually bought a book that says "as seen in the film Despicable ME" on the cover. Yes, I've even been playing with the little kitten puppets. But hey, it was on sale! Who could resist? Apparently, not me.

Lost and Broken

On the day of my mom's funeral, John had the foresight to make an audio recording of the services. Later, my dad told me he would like a written copy of the talks. I knew that several talented photographers had taken pictures that day, so I suggested that we put together a book that included photos as well.

I decided I could work on it over the next month or so and have it ready for my dad for Christmas. Denise, Kristin and Marianne were kind enough to share their photos with me. Some of my siblings emailed me their talks, but I knew that I would have to transcribe several of the talks. The trouble was, I couldn't find the mini-cassette tape with the funeral recording.

John had set the tape aside for me on his desk and showed me where it was, but his desk gets awfully messy.

Marianne used the cassette recorder frequently for her flute lessons. She said she was careful to use a new tape, but it is easy to get those things confused.

I was frustrated that someone had lost that tape!

I prayed about it and was sure that it would turn up sooner or later. I got to work on the book and finished as much of it as I could. Christmas came and went and I still couldn't find the lost tape.

Evan offered to help me. He searched all over and gathered every mini-cassette tape in the house. He started listening to them, when things went from bad to worse. The cassette player broke! Admittedly, micro-cassette recorders are pretty old school. Most stores only carry digital recorders now. I found what I needed online and bought it, having faith that the lost tape would soon be found.

Photo books can get pricey, especially if you're making several copies, so I was grateful to have a really good coupon code to use! The trouble was, it expired at the end of the year. Besides we were leaving the next day for a trip to Utah.

I was so frustrated and prayed some more. I knew that the Lord knew where the tape was, why wouldn't he help us find it? Suddenly, it hit me. I had been silently blaming everyone else for losing that tape! I had never acknowledged that it may have been ME who lost the tape. Just minutes after I repented of my prideful thoughts, Evan called to me. He had found the lost tape--right behind MY dresser!

Everything came together and I spent a good portion of our car ride transcribing the talks and finishing the photo book. I was able to place the order just hours before the coupon expired.

I am grateful that because of the Savior, what was lost is found.

I am also grateful that:

"Broken clouds give rain
Broken soil grows grain
Broken bread feeds man for one more day

Broken storms yield light
The break of day heals night
Broken pride turns blindness into sight

Broken souls that need his mending
Broken hearts for offering
I believe that God loves broken things"

Lyrics by Kenneth Cope
(from a CD my Mom gave me for my birthday in August that I can't listen to without crying.)

You can listen HERE

Thankidsgiving

Thanksgiving was rough for me this year and then I got the flu over the weekend.
Thank goodness for the great kids in our family!

They always bring a smile to my face.

Here are a few of my favorite moments:

This guy not only loved the dogs, he gave me a love! Heath was sadly looking around for his grandma and when he found me in her usual place in the kitchen, I got a big hug from him. He generally will give me a hug only when I ask for one. I wish he hadn't been sad, but I'm grateful for his spontaneous hug!

Thanks to this girl for having a Thanksgiving birthday, so we got to have a pinata!
Doesn't Alyssa look great in her high heeled pinata?
Happy 11th sweet Alyssa!
I like to tease her mom that Alyssa looks like she should have been my baby, don't you agree?

Thanks to this girl for helping her mom make these cute pilgrim hat place settings.
Jenna also made me laugh when I gave her a gift bag with her early birthday present. I told her she could open it and she replied, "Well, I already know what it is Aunt Melanie. You always give me and Alyssa the same thing."
I do? I guess I do ;)

This girl always makes me smile, but she was especially cute at Thanksgiving. I let her try some sweet potatoes and she loved them. The funniest part was when her daddy scolded me for giving her something with lots of sugar. I almost laughed out loud because he LOVES his sugar. And just so you know, I wasn't being a bad grandma. I was able to tell him that it was an all natural sweet potato casserole with no sugar!

This little sweetie won the best dressed award in her lovely, long white dress.
Brooke did wear her cute Thanksgiving outfit for most of the day, but changed into her dress just in time to receive a name and a blessing from her daddy. It was wonderful to have so many priesthood holders in our family participate in the ordinance.
I believe it was Aaron's first time to help bless a baby.

Emma was in heaven with two baby cousins to love!
When she wasn't holding a baby, she kept busy with her knitting. She is an amazing self-taught knitter. She does absolutely beautiful work and even has her first "for pay" project.

This girl is always in charge! Cammi doesn't like anyone telling her what to do.
But she melted like butter for her little cousin. She had a fabulous time letting him pull her around by the hand and doing whatever he wanted!

And Riley certainly enjoyed his cousins. He loved sharing a cardboard box with Cammi.
He also had his mind made up about the pinata. He wanted to wear a blindfold like all the other kids, but he didn't want it covering his eyes.

This little guy also loved the pinata. Strictly speaking, he isn't one of the kids, but he is a puppy so I think that counts. Dutch helped himself to the treats and had to have both a Laffy Taffy and a Slinky removed from his mouth. And he wasn't happy about losing either one!

Finally, thanks to the sweet girl who took all these pictures and let me post them even when she wasn't thrilled with my choice of photos or editing. I love you Marianne!

Celebration of Life

We are blessed to have some wonderful photographers in our family. Thanks to them, I know we got some wonderful pictures of the funeral. My cousin Kristin is a professional photog and she made a lovely post about my mom on her blog. Click Here to see her beautiful pictures.

If you would like to read the talk I gave in tribute to my mom Click Here.

July Faces

My summer has been filled with gorgeous faces!
Thankfully, Marianne loves to capture them with her camera.

This is my niece Cammi with a teardrop and pouty lips after she fell during a walk. She wanted to hold Roxy's leash, but it didn't quite work out like she planned.

Dallin pretty much looked this way the entire two weeks he was at my house.
For some reason he loves to have his tongue hanging out.
Kind of reminds you of a puppy, doesn't he?

Alyssa looked thoughtful after she came home from dance class.
She found out that she successfully completed her exams
and brought home the certificate to prove it!

We were so glad this cutie pie was able to visit for a few days.
Riley is full of expressions and we loved seeing them all!

We can't get enough of Brianne's beautiful face.
She is our family celebrity. Everyone rushes over when she enters the room and she is constantly followed by fans and the papparazzi!

One beautiful face is all it takes to make my heart sing!

Our Second Eagle Scout

Today we celebrated Aaron's accomplishments in Scouting!

We set up a table highlighting a few of his talents:
singing, Shakespearean acting, studying the classics and nature photography.
We recalled the service he has given to our community.
We watched a slide show of his life that made us cry.

We rejoiced in the growth we see in our family.

We shared our joy with our family and many friends.

Aaron's Eagle Scout Award was presented by his Boy Scout mentor, his grandpa Bob.
Thanks to my dad, all of his sons are Eagle Scouts.
Now he is helping his grandsons on the trail to Eagle!

We are grateful for everyone who has helped Aaron grow and progress as a Scout.
It is an important step on the path to becoming a man of God.