Roxy - part one

"Deliberate" and "Intentional" seem to be big buzzwords today. I like the principles behind them and I want to live my life purposefully. But some of the best things in life are surprises or accidents that happen with little or no planning.

In 2002 we had a busy home filled with four children and a bird inherited from Grandma. One day my sister asked me if we were interested in getting a dog. I told her that I had my hands full and there was no room at the inn. Her friend Francie called me anyway.

Francie explained that her daughter had a sweet little dog who needed lots of attention. They were all away from home much of the day and the poor little dog spent hours in her kennel. I told Francie we weren't interested, but she persisted. She explained that she was calling me because we were an LDS homeschooling family. She wasn't going to give the dog to just anyone. They wanted a family who spent lots of time at home so the dog would get plenty of attention. Her daughter insisted that the family be LDS because Roxy "loved family scripture study." That was the silliest thing I'd ever heard and I thanked Francie for thinking of us, but told her we really weren't interested.

Then Francie asked if we would be willing to meet the dog, just so we could see what she was like. Francie was so earnest that I finally agreed. They showed up at our house the next day. Of course the kids were excited to have a visit from this little white pup. She ran circles around them and showed us her tricks. She could even jump up into your arms from the ground.

After everyone was thoroughly smitten, Francie asked if we wanted to keep the dog for a few days. Her daughter Lauren began to cry and told us how much she wanted Roxy to have a good home. Then Francie took us out to her car. We couldn't believe what we saw . . .

Captured

I've spent the past week going through our family videos. We have quite a collection of tapes from our camcorder, but most of them are not labelled. So every tape is a surprise--and an opportunity to learn something.

Many of the tapes show me covering my face or asking my husband to turn off the camera. Fortunately, he persevered and captured me on tape many times despite my protests. I complained that I didn't have my makeup on or my hair wasn't done, but you know what? I loved seeing the woman I was 10, 15 or even 20 years ago. I didn't see a single video where I looked so bad that I regretted John filming me. Sure I laughed at some of my clothes and haircuts. Yes, I cringed at how chubby I looked in certain years. But I am so grateful to have some of our memories preserved for the future. I was (and still am) an imperfect wife and mother. But I was there to kiss my babies and celebrate birthdays with little children who are now grown up. I am grateful for the many hours we spent together and that a few of them were recorded by their loving father.

I am grateful for a husband who tells me I am beautiful without makeup and keeps taking videos even if I complain. Here's a picture of the two of us at the beach today. If you look carefully, you'll notice that my hair isn't done and I'm not wearing any makeup. But I hope that what really shines through is the happiness and peace I feel when we're together.

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I believe in CS Lewis, good writing, story telling and sisters

One of my favorite quotes from CS Lewis  reads:

“For in Calormen, story-telling (whether the stories are true or made up) is a thing you're taught, just as English boys and girls are taught essay-writing. The difference is that people want to hear the stories, whereas I never heard of anyone who wanted to read the essays.”

The pictures I posted yesterday reminded me of an essay, but not the boring kind that CS Lewis wrote about.  Instead, I present to you an essay story written by Marianne earlier this year.  I think you'll enjoy reading it--even if you're not her mother.

I Believe in Little Sisters

The summer I turned 16, I received quite a shock. I remember the evening my life changed forever. My mom called me and my two brothers downstairs for a family meeting. My stomach sickened at the thought, because I knew that one of only two things could have happened.  Either my great grandma had died, or my mom was pregnant.  I was hoping with all my heart that my dear sweet great grandma, who was in her 90’s had made the journey to heaven.  But in a few short months, I would learn an important lesson:  I believe in little sisters.

I believe in little sisters because they make you happy. Brigham Young University professor Laura Padilla-Walker stated the results of a recent study which showed that “having a sister protected adolescents from feeling lonely, unloved, guilty, self-conscious and fearful.”[i] Lavender Jane is my two year old little sister. She makes me laugh at least 24 times a day.  She opens my eyes to the simple things in life. She helps me see the joy that comes from roaring like a dinosaur, or singing opera in your loudest voice. She gets way too excited about eating breakfast, and is still smiling as she is carried up to bed. She makes every day fun and she knows how to giggle her heart out.  She makes me happy in every way.

I believe in little sisters because they provide you opportunities to teach. I get to teach my sister so many things, every single day. I can teach her right from wrong, I can teach her new words, and I can even teach her how to eat a whole In N Out hamburger. Little sisters love to learn! At the same time, as I am teaching my sister to learn about the world, I am also getting good practice teaching. One day I will have my own children, so I like to think of Lavender as my trial run for my future family.

I believe in little sisters because you learn patience. Life might look perfect with a little sister, but let’s be honest; it’s not. It is wonderful in every way you could imagine, but it can be hard sometimes. That brings me to my last point: I get to practice being patient with my little sister. Today Lavender dumped dog food all over the floor, screamed in my face at me, tried to chew my computer cord, and almost hit me in the face with a tin bucket she decided to fling in the air. Whew! I have only been home from school for a few hours, and already I have been given many opportunities to be patient and loving with my sister.  Let’s just say I get a lot of practice time.

In all my years, I never wanted a sister. I never once wished that I had a little sister. You may not have a little sister, or a little brother, or any other siblings, and that is okay. You might not even like kids! One nugget of gold I have found through this whole experience is that God likes to surprise us. If you have not noticed already, He will throw some crazy surprises into our lives.  My little sister was that kind of a surprise for me.  Maybe it’s not a new sister that surprises you. Maybe it’s a new friend you make, a talent you discover, an awareness about something, or even something that may seem to be a trial or a burden. Whatever it is, it is important to remember that with everything in life, God’s timing is perfect. It may seem like the worst time to us, but God knows more than we do. When my sister was born, I had to embrace God’s timing. It wasn’t always easy, but it all worked out. Embrace it, let it in, and let that surprise of yours bring you joy.

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[i] Padilla-Walker, Laura. "Sisters give siblings better mental health, study shows." Brigham Young University News. Brigham Young University, 2 Aug. 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

Two Happy Kids #3

These girls take the best selfies ever.

Two Happy Kids #2

Fitted sheets + fans = really cool fort

Two Happy Kids

Lavender is happy playing with Daddy's shoes. She knows she's supposed to tie them, but she can't quite figure out how. Keep practicing girl!

Evan is happy that he has his GoPro back! He finally gets to look through the thousands of photos he took in Chicago. It really is a miracle that he got the camera back! Left in the back of a cab. Several days later an employee of the taxi company posts on Reddit. Aaron found the posting online and made contact.

Happy Father's Day

 (or Daddy Day as Lavender calls it.)

Here are a few pictures of my daddy.

Such a handsome guy!

When I was very young, my Dad used to make up stories for me at bedtime.  My favorites were about "Elmer the Eagle."  I don't remember much about Elmer's adventures, but I know they often had a moral about obeying or making good choices. Dad was always trying to teach me and take care of me.

Now my oldest son is a father and today he reminded me of my dad.  He asked his four year old if she wanted to go to the store that Sunday afternoon.  It might have looked like he was teasing her, but he was really trying to teach her. My dad often did that sort of thing. On the way home from church he'd ask if we wanted to stop and get an ice cream cone or go to the drive-in movie. My brother sometimes answered "yes," but I knew it was a trick question to see if we would remember to keep the Sabbath day holy.

My Dad has always had a good sense of humor and liked to tease. At the store they'd ask for his phone number when he paid with a check (yes, we actually used to do things that way!)  He would reply that he didn't have a phone. The store clerk would get a little flustered and then my Dad would laugh and give his phone number.  He also liked to have fun at election time.  Once a friend of his was running for a local office and Dad put signs for the opposing candidate in his yard one night.  They both got a good laugh out of that.

When I was a teenager my Dad began having serious problems and pain in his leg.  Finally, he was diagnosed  with cancer.  He and my mother were very concerned and Dad talked to me about the possibility of dying from cancer.  I was not very understanding and I got really upset with him. I got out a copy of his patriarchal blessing and read part of it to him that promised him health and a long life.  I wasn't very gentle or compassionate, but I was full of faith that my dad would be healed. Dad received priesthood blessings and many friends and family members prayed for him.  Later, he went in for another biopsy and the doctors could find no evidence of cancer.  They said that the initial diagnosis must have been in error. We knew the truth:  Dad was healed by the power of God.

I am grateful for my Dad and all that he has taught me throughout my life. I love you Dad!