Amy, Noel and Ducky Tub
Sunday, January 31
Friday, January 29
On Babysitting
I was just pondering about life and how child care - my own kids and others - fits into it. I have been pondering about my responsibilities (sometimes also known as burdens, or even heavy burdens) and why it is hard for me to take care of all the things I need to do.
And I realized something, a great blessing in my life. When I think of responsibilities that weigh me down, I don't think of taking care of my kids. Of course, my kids take up more of my time and attention than any other thing. I take their care very seriously, and it's often hard and sometimes unpleasant. But rarely would I describe it as a burden.
Perhaps that is because when I am mothering well, I feel and I know that I am doing the BEST possible thing I can be doing. Perhaps it is because I love my kids so much. Perhaps it is because of the great satisfaction I get when I see that they've learned something, and maybe I had a part in teaching them.
That's not to say that I always feel up to the task. I do have times sometimes (even whole days occasionally) where I feel unable to cope. Usually when I'm at that point I can't cope emotionally; sometimes it's physical - I'm too tired. There are days when I long for Matt to come home to relieve me, and it's almost always the case that I take a certain delight in being somewhere without my kids for a little break. (And then miss them 5 minutes later. Why do we moms do this?)
Most of the time, however, I feel an overall contentment in being a mom. I delight in much about my kids and other kids. I enjoy playing games and playing with toys and reading book (although Amy can often outlast me at these tasks.) I like singing songs and saying silly things. I like trying to decipher what a toddler just said that sounded like gibberish. I love seeing my girls become better and better friends. I even like doing Amy's hair. Who knew I'd feel that way?
And I don't feel burdened.
That is why when I think of trying to simplify my life, I don't think of not babysitting. Child care is hard and sometimes not fun, but I don't think it's a burden. And because I feel that way, I am grateful. I feel like Heavenly Father blessed me to love and enjoy children. And one way I want to thank Him for that blessing is to take advantage of this wonderful time when I get to be with children so much.
(Isn't it always easier to write these kind of posts after the kids go to bed?) :)
And I realized something, a great blessing in my life. When I think of responsibilities that weigh me down, I don't think of taking care of my kids. Of course, my kids take up more of my time and attention than any other thing. I take their care very seriously, and it's often hard and sometimes unpleasant. But rarely would I describe it as a burden.
Perhaps that is because when I am mothering well, I feel and I know that I am doing the BEST possible thing I can be doing. Perhaps it is because I love my kids so much. Perhaps it is because of the great satisfaction I get when I see that they've learned something, and maybe I had a part in teaching them.
That's not to say that I always feel up to the task. I do have times sometimes (even whole days occasionally) where I feel unable to cope. Usually when I'm at that point I can't cope emotionally; sometimes it's physical - I'm too tired. There are days when I long for Matt to come home to relieve me, and it's almost always the case that I take a certain delight in being somewhere without my kids for a little break. (And then miss them 5 minutes later. Why do we moms do this?)
Most of the time, however, I feel an overall contentment in being a mom. I delight in much about my kids and other kids. I enjoy playing games and playing with toys and reading book (although Amy can often outlast me at these tasks.) I like singing songs and saying silly things. I like trying to decipher what a toddler just said that sounded like gibberish. I love seeing my girls become better and better friends. I even like doing Amy's hair. Who knew I'd feel that way?
And I don't feel burdened.
That is why when I think of trying to simplify my life, I don't think of not babysitting. Child care is hard and sometimes not fun, but I don't think it's a burden. And because I feel that way, I am grateful. I feel like Heavenly Father blessed me to love and enjoy children. And one way I want to thank Him for that blessing is to take advantage of this wonderful time when I get to be with children so much.
(Isn't it always easier to write these kind of posts after the kids go to bed?) :)
Wednesday, January 27
Restroom Surprise
Today at work we officially welcomed a new employee by going as a team to Macaroni Grill. There are various intrigues at Macaroni Grill besides the good food. For one, they give you crayons to color on the butcher-paper table clothes and the waiters all learn to sign their name upside down for you. Second, they play FANTASTIC music! Every time I'm there I want to stand up and start to lindy. Third, when you use the restroom, you get a complementary Italian lesson. A word or phrase is given in English, and then repeated twice in Italian. No more need to purchase fancy software, just go spend your daily 5 minutes in their restroom and you'll learn Italian in no time!
Well, today I had forgotten entirely about the Italian lessons in the restroom and two steps into the restroom I heard a woman's voice loudly say "Excuse Me!" I stopped mid-stride and looked around intently, eyes wide, searching for WHO might have said that! Seeing no-one, I was becoming confused, when I heard a man's voice say "Scuza", and then a second later, again, "Scuza". By now I was catching on and was able to enjoy a good laugh on myself. The timing was impeccable! And besides, using the wrong restroom as a missionary at the MTC was enough for one lifetime, don't you think?
Well, today I had forgotten entirely about the Italian lessons in the restroom and two steps into the restroom I heard a woman's voice loudly say "Excuse Me!" I stopped mid-stride and looked around intently, eyes wide, searching for WHO might have said that! Seeing no-one, I was becoming confused, when I heard a man's voice say "Scuza", and then a second later, again, "Scuza". By now I was catching on and was able to enjoy a good laugh on myself. The timing was impeccable! And besides, using the wrong restroom as a missionary at the MTC was enough for one lifetime, don't you think?
Monday, January 25
On a Roll
I just noticed that we've posted enough this month to be our second-most-posting month thus far. I don't think we'll beat our record though (thirty-something). But still, a good way to start off a new year!
http://nauvoouniversity.com/ - I love Nauvoo and am thrilled about this development! This is NOT the BYU semester at Nauvoo. Rather, it's an independent university similar to South Virginia University. They had their first semester in Fall of '09. Who wouldn't want to go to school in Nauvoo! Such a wonderful place!
And since that little paragraph is frankly too boring to be its own post, I thought I'd post a few links here of things I like.
http://wave.google.com - A new communication medium that I hope will replace email through the next 5-7 years.
http://www.mvelopes.com - It costs money, but this is some awesome budgeting software. No more entering in transactions manually! Wahoo!
http://www.lds.org - One could honestly spend hour after hour on this site. When you really start exploring it, there is SO MUCH here!
http://www.youtube.com/mormonmessages - a lot of great videos here. I love the swashbuckled commercial! It's stellar.
http://www.garfield.com/comics/todayscomic.html - I've read them all, from June 19th 1978 through today. I love Garfield.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61dzv1L_QdQ - It's only 12 seconds, and hilarious!
http://new.familysearch.org - I'm just starting on this one, but I love how easy and interesting it makes family history!
http://googlewavedev.blogspot.com/2009/09/google-wave-in-internet-explorer.html - As a software engineer I, along with the majority in my field, have a bitter taste in my mouth for Internet Explorer (IE). This post tactfully yet clearly explains why IE is the worst major browser on the market. So, if you're using IE, please, do your part at making earth a better place and use something else! (For Example: Firefox, Chrome, or Safari)
http://nauvoouniversity.com/ - I love Nauvoo and am thrilled about this development! This is NOT the BYU semester at Nauvoo. Rather, it's an independent university similar to South Virginia University. They had their first semester in Fall of '09. Who wouldn't want to go to school in Nauvoo! Such a wonderful place!
I might add some more as I think of them.
Sunday, January 24
Any Ideas?
We're home from church today because Amy had a fever last night, and then I wondered this morning if Noel had one too. As of right now, both girls seem to be fine. But still. We couldn't go to church that soon after the fever. So instead, now is the time designated for family flop. Meaning Noel, Amy and I are all supposed to be sleeping. I loved the idea. The girls are not cooperating. Which brings me to the point of this post.
Does anyone have any good ideas for how to keep Amy from waking Noel up when they are both supposed to be sleeping?
She's done this quite a few times recently. Noel goes down before Amy a lot of the time. And when Amy goes into their room to go to sleep, it doesn't take long before they're talking and giggling away. I don't mind that so much. It's the fact that Noel doesn't go back to sleep - and usually Amy doesn't get to sleep as long as I leave Noel in there. So it ruins nap time for Noel a lot of the time.
Now, my preferred solution would be to have the girls in separate rooms, at least at this age. But this is not possible right now because we only have 2 rooms in our condo. I have put Noel down in my closet to sleep a few times so that Amy won't be able to wake her up. One of the times I woke her up accidently. I don't love having babies sleep in my room, but sometimes this is better than having them in the same room.
So today when I heard them going, I poked my head in and got Amy's attention but not Noel's and quietly told her in a stern voice to lie down and go to sleep. Yeah, like that worked. I don't have great consequence ideas for Amy waking Noel up because
a) we usually put Amy in time out, but I don't even want to go all the way into their room to get her to take her to time out. I would get Noel's attention, and her nap would be officially shot. And the momentum towards a nap of Amy being in her bed would be interrupted. Bad idea.
b) If I put Amy in time out for it after her nap that won't even mean anything to her by that point.
c) the damage is already done. Noel's awake. That's what I most wanted to avoid.
So other than keeping Noel in my closet for naptime, does anyone have any other ideas that would work to keep Amy from waking Noel up? As much as I'd like to say that we'll just move into a bigger place, that's not an immediate enough solution. (Although I am looking forward to that when it happens.)
Does anyone have any good ideas for how to keep Amy from waking Noel up when they are both supposed to be sleeping?
She's done this quite a few times recently. Noel goes down before Amy a lot of the time. And when Amy goes into their room to go to sleep, it doesn't take long before they're talking and giggling away. I don't mind that so much. It's the fact that Noel doesn't go back to sleep - and usually Amy doesn't get to sleep as long as I leave Noel in there. So it ruins nap time for Noel a lot of the time.
Now, my preferred solution would be to have the girls in separate rooms, at least at this age. But this is not possible right now because we only have 2 rooms in our condo. I have put Noel down in my closet to sleep a few times so that Amy won't be able to wake her up. One of the times I woke her up accidently. I don't love having babies sleep in my room, but sometimes this is better than having them in the same room.
So today when I heard them going, I poked my head in and got Amy's attention but not Noel's and quietly told her in a stern voice to lie down and go to sleep. Yeah, like that worked. I don't have great consequence ideas for Amy waking Noel up because
a) we usually put Amy in time out, but I don't even want to go all the way into their room to get her to take her to time out. I would get Noel's attention, and her nap would be officially shot. And the momentum towards a nap of Amy being in her bed would be interrupted. Bad idea.
b) If I put Amy in time out for it after her nap that won't even mean anything to her by that point.
c) the damage is already done. Noel's awake. That's what I most wanted to avoid.
So other than keeping Noel in my closet for naptime, does anyone have any other ideas that would work to keep Amy from waking Noel up? As much as I'd like to say that we'll just move into a bigger place, that's not an immediate enough solution. (Although I am looking forward to that when it happens.)
Friday, January 22
Body Pillow for Pregos (and not)
For Bonnie's birthday in 2008 I got her a super-uber body pillow. (Specifically it's the "Leachco Back 'N Belly".) At the time, she was prego. She loved it. Now she's not prego. She loves it. She still even thanks me for it once in a while. She'll love it for a long time.
During that Christmas time, Bonnie's sister Burnsy was in town and was much more prego than Bonnie. Bonnie insisted she try her pillow. Burnsy was a little reluctant as it was "Bonnie's" pillow, and had a "Eh, ok. I'm happy to try it but, whatever. It's not like I really want or need to." kind of feeling about it (correct me if I'm wrong). Burnsy felt fine using... I dunno - whatever she was using. Normal pillows perhaps. But, as I said, Bonnie insisted. When Burnsy arrived back home after her family Christmas time visit, she had her own pillow of the very same waiting for her. She also got one for (or convinced her to purchase) her sister-in-law who was prego.
Most recently, our friend Lauren (who is prego) was over visiting and I don't know how the details went, but Bonnie convinced her to borrow her pillow. From what I understand (correct me in the comments if I'm wrong), Lauren's sentiments were similar to Burnsy's. Now, note the last paragraph of her comments here and here. (Update - and her post here!)
So, for all those others out there who think it's not that big of a deal, know this, that you could be significantly more comfortable. You may think you're comfortable now, but this is better.
So, here's a pic from the website and a link to purchase one if you're interested. (Not sold in stores... or at least not at our local target.) I think after shipping and everything it was between $72 and $75.
P.S. I just realized that Bonnie posted while I was posting this. That speedy pants! Oh well, I'm posting this anyway.
It's Matt's Birthday on Sunday!
I'm just posting this now so lots of people know. I'm excited to have an extra-special-Matt-day. Love you, Matt!
About My Pillow
I posted last year when Matt gave me a wonderful pillow for my birthday. See here. I still love this pillow. I sometimes sleep with it when I'm not pregnant. But when I'm pregnant I HAVE to have it. It's funny to me because everyone who has been converted to the pillow from Matt first buying it (3 others that I know of) always think they don't need it. Then they sleep with it. My sister and I agree that we don't know how we did pregnancy without it. Anyway, we have a new convert so I'm posting the link for Lauren's sake.
http://www.amazon.com/Leachco-Back-Belly-Contoured-Pillow/dp/B0002E7DIQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1264185967&sr=8-3
If you're pregnant, you need this. Seriously. You can borrow mine if you need convincing (after Lauren's done with it which may not be for a while.) :)
http://www.amazon.com/Leachco-Back-Belly-Contoured-Pillow/dp/B0002E7DIQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1264185967&sr=8-3
If you're pregnant, you need this. Seriously. You can borrow mine if you need convincing (after Lauren's done with it which may not be for a while.) :)
Friday, January 15
Amy Prayers
Amy has been pretty good at saying prayers lately, often time interrupting us if we try and saying "No! Amy do it!" or "No! Amy lo hace!" It's pretty cute. Her prayers generally go as follows:
Heavenly Father.
Thanks for.
Food.
Mommy, 'n Daddy, 'n Noel, 'n Amy.
Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sometimes after the "Mommy, Daddy, Noel, Amy" line, she'll add a few other things in there too, like "Ni-Nite" or "Noel awake", or anything she happens to look around at.
Since our Washington trip I don't think she's offered a prayer yet (and she's offered plenty since then) where she hasn't also mentioned "Donna 'n Dave". She really liked being there and I think fell very much in love with Donna. Many times while we were there she wanted to go to "Donna's house".
Gotta love that little girl! We're so proud of her! It's nice having a child that makes you feel like a good parent!
Washington Trip Posts
I have a ton of posts to share from our trip to Washington. There are some posts with way too many pictures and some with way too many posts. I won't be offended if you skip or are not interested. (I'll never know.:) Anyone interested can read it all. I'm happy for the chance to write about it and to have a record of this great time.
I wrote the posts in chronological order so that I could keep everything straight put then waited to post them so that you could read chronologically from the top of the blog down. But then it posted them the wrong way from what I wanted. Does anyone know how to change the order of the posts? If not, you can read the trip in backwards order or scroll down to start on day 1.
Also, I posted about Christmas Eve through day after Christmas tonight too. You'll have to scroll down to posts before the trip sum up to find those.
Enjoy!
I wrote the posts in chronological order so that I could keep everything straight put then waited to post them so that you could read chronologically from the top of the blog down. But then it posted them the wrong way from what I wanted. Does anyone know how to change the order of the posts? If not, you can read the trip in backwards order or scroll down to start on day 1.
Also, I posted about Christmas Eve through day after Christmas tonight too. You'll have to scroll down to posts before the trip sum up to find those.
Enjoy!
Washington/ Arizona/ Utah day 5
It's funny how a full day of travel can make you anxious to be home when you weren't anxious to leave in the first place. It was hard for me to leave Washington. (That seems to be the case each time I leave.) Today I've been a little sad about being home. Still, it is always nice to be back in your own place with all your own stuff and not living out of a suitcase.
We got up early yesterday to begin our day of travel. We missed our flight because we were 10 minutes too late to check our baggage. Bummer. The good news is that there was a great play area in the Seattle Tacoma airport that we spent much of the morning in while waiting for the next flight.
Look how fun the play area was!
Ta-da, I did it! Sorry a little blurry, but cute pose of Amy. (I think she's done wearing that shirt; what do you think?)
We flew into Phoenix for a layover. The first flight was nice. We all got to sit together, and Amy and Matt slept for much of it. I really am impressed with the girls on airplanes.
The flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake was fine but perhaps not my first pick of flying arrangements. I had a middle seat in between two men who did not appear the tiniest bit interested in making even a little small talk. They were both polite in the few short exchanges we did have just trying to get settled, but that was about it. Frankly, I didn't mind. I like reading my book on the plane and was happy to get to do so. The part that was a little unfortunate was the fact that I was sitting there between them with a baby on my lap. I have no idea what their baby tolerance levels were. Noel only cried a little a couple of times so I don't think she was too annoying to them. I did have to nurse her on the plane squished there between those men. Oh well. Didn't really bother me. Hope it didn't bother them. Noel fell asleep toward the beginning, and the man next to me accidentally bumped her in the head a few times without even realizing. Not enough to hurt or wake her, but still. I didn't really love having her head bumped into. So I tried to reposition her in such a way that that wouldn't happen anymore. That woke her up. Blast. But she was good. I really enjoyed the time I got to be with her after she woke up. I read some while she entertained herself. When she wanted attention, I played her to keep her happy. We had a fun time together, having more one-on-one time than we usually can pull off.
THE was nice enough to pick us up from the airport and didn't even grumble about our being late. Thanks THE! And thanks Melissa for giving up your husband for the evening! We were glad to see him and hang out with him on the ride home.
So that's it. We're home. Trying to get back to life and not be too sad about the end of vacation. We are happy about returning to some sort of order and schedule. That will be good. And I have a lot of wonderful memories from the last week.
We got up early yesterday to begin our day of travel. We missed our flight because we were 10 minutes too late to check our baggage. Bummer. The good news is that there was a great play area in the Seattle Tacoma airport that we spent much of the morning in while waiting for the next flight.
Look how fun the play area was!
Ta-da, I did it! Sorry a little blurry, but cute pose of Amy. (I think she's done wearing that shirt; what do you think?)
We flew into Phoenix for a layover. The first flight was nice. We all got to sit together, and Amy and Matt slept for much of it. I really am impressed with the girls on airplanes.
The flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake was fine but perhaps not my first pick of flying arrangements. I had a middle seat in between two men who did not appear the tiniest bit interested in making even a little small talk. They were both polite in the few short exchanges we did have just trying to get settled, but that was about it. Frankly, I didn't mind. I like reading my book on the plane and was happy to get to do so. The part that was a little unfortunate was the fact that I was sitting there between them with a baby on my lap. I have no idea what their baby tolerance levels were. Noel only cried a little a couple of times so I don't think she was too annoying to them. I did have to nurse her on the plane squished there between those men. Oh well. Didn't really bother me. Hope it didn't bother them. Noel fell asleep toward the beginning, and the man next to me accidentally bumped her in the head a few times without even realizing. Not enough to hurt or wake her, but still. I didn't really love having her head bumped into. So I tried to reposition her in such a way that that wouldn't happen anymore. That woke her up. Blast. But she was good. I really enjoyed the time I got to be with her after she woke up. I read some while she entertained herself. When she wanted attention, I played her to keep her happy. We had a fun time together, having more one-on-one time than we usually can pull off.
THE was nice enough to pick us up from the airport and didn't even grumble about our being late. Thanks THE! And thanks Melissa for giving up your husband for the evening! We were glad to see him and hang out with him on the ride home.
So that's it. We're home. Trying to get back to life and not be too sad about the end of vacation. We are happy about returning to some sort of order and schedule. That will be good. And I have a lot of wonderful memories from the last week.
Washington Day 4, After Temple
After the temple, we went to the Sasses' house. Bishop Sass is the one who I mentioned in an earlier post teaching Gospel Doctrine. I just didn't feel like I had gotten enough time with them. I still don't feel like I did, but that visit sure helped. We caught up on family and on ward happenings. Although some of the things they shared with us were very sad, it was great to be with them. I shared with them my feeling of what a special place we were in, how people live there not knowing that to me Olalla is so special. And always will be. You return missionaries reading this know.
Then we went to dinner with Dave and Donna and family. The girls were beyond tired by this point - Amy had slept in the car and stayed asleep at the Sasses'. We were worried that they wouldn't be able to hold it together at dinner, but they did. We had another fun meal with their family. I am grateful that they all made us feel so comfortable.
When we got back to the house, Donna helped us pack up our stuff. She's great at getting things organized and stuffed in when you wouldn't have thought possible. It was very kind of her after a long day to do that for us. I enjoyed getting to spend those last minutes with her. We left early the next morning without being able to say goodbye.
Thank you to Dave and Donna for hosting us and spoiling us and most of all for allowing us to share this wonderful experience with you. And for letting me be a part of your conversion and progression in the gospel. I enjoyed working with you as a missionary and being with you a few times since. I love to feel your spirit and see the progress you have made. Hope to see you when you come to Utah! You are always welcome to visit and to stay with us. We love you!
Then we went to dinner with Dave and Donna and family. The girls were beyond tired by this point - Amy had slept in the car and stayed asleep at the Sasses'. We were worried that they wouldn't be able to hold it together at dinner, but they did. We had another fun meal with their family. I am grateful that they all made us feel so comfortable.
When we got back to the house, Donna helped us pack up our stuff. She's great at getting things organized and stuffed in when you wouldn't have thought possible. It was very kind of her after a long day to do that for us. I enjoyed getting to spend those last minutes with her. We left early the next morning without being able to say goodbye.
Thank you to Dave and Donna for hosting us and spoiling us and most of all for allowing us to share this wonderful experience with you. And for letting me be a part of your conversion and progression in the gospel. I enjoyed working with you as a missionary and being with you a few times since. I love to feel your spirit and see the progress you have made. Hope to see you when you come to Utah! You are always welcome to visit and to stay with us. We love you!
Washington Day 4, the Temple
The event that got us to Washington was Dave and Donna's sealing. So when we left Tuesday morning from the Bainbridges' house, it was to the temple. My cousin, David (brother of Daniel) and his wife, Monique live 10 minutes away from the temple. They said they could watch our kids while we were in the temple so that Matt could participate too. We appreciated their service SO MUCH! As it turned out, that included washing Noel's car seat too - Monique volunteered - because Noel had pooped all over in it right before we got to the temple.
We brought the girls to the temple before they went to Monique's house so that we could take family pictures (see below) and so I could feed Noel right before going into the temple. I ended up spending about 4 hours in the temple for instruction, the endowment and sealing so I was nervous about how Noel would do all that time away. She did fine although she really didn't eat much. Silly girl. Monique spoon fed her some breast milk, and she thought that was cool.
One fun thing about taking Amy to the temple is hearing her talk about Moroni. She knows he is on top of the temples. She also notices that we keep talking about him during our scripture study. She just doesn't know that we're talking about different Moronis. It's cute to hear her say his name and to love seeing the temple.
Being in the temple with Dave and Donna was wonderful. I reflected quite a bit on how special an opportunity it was to be there with them. When a person is baptized, you look forward to the time when they can go to the temple. How amazing to be there with them as they take this next step! I feel happy just thinking about it. Congratulations again, Dave and Donna, on this wonderful step you took!
I was happy to see quite a few friends supporting Dave and Donna in the temple. I hope they will continue to feel loved and supported as they progress further.
We brought the girls to the temple before they went to Monique's house so that we could take family pictures (see below) and so I could feed Noel right before going into the temple. I ended up spending about 4 hours in the temple for instruction, the endowment and sealing so I was nervous about how Noel would do all that time away. She did fine although she really didn't eat much. Silly girl. Monique spoon fed her some breast milk, and she thought that was cool.
One fun thing about taking Amy to the temple is hearing her talk about Moroni. She knows he is on top of the temples. She also notices that we keep talking about him during our scripture study. She just doesn't know that we're talking about different Moronis. It's cute to hear her say his name and to love seeing the temple.
Being in the temple with Dave and Donna was wonderful. I reflected quite a bit on how special an opportunity it was to be there with them. When a person is baptized, you look forward to the time when they can go to the temple. How amazing to be there with them as they take this next step! I feel happy just thinking about it. Congratulations again, Dave and Donna, on this wonderful step you took!
I was happy to see quite a few friends supporting Dave and Donna in the temple. I hope they will continue to feel loved and supported as they progress further.
Washington Day 3, the Bainbridges
After breakfast we packed up our stuff and headed south. For the last three months of the mission, I was transferred to Rochester which is a small town where lots of great missionary work happens.
My first night there I met a wonderful family, the Bainbridges. Christy was scheduled to be baptized soon after, and we worked with her to help her finish getting ready for that. Her husband, Howard was not interested in being baptized but was very interested in all the discussions we had. He had studied the Bible a lot and had a lot of questions as we taught them. He was baptized a few months after I went home. They were sealed in the temple last year.
So it was to the Bainbridges' house we went. We jumped into the usual kids-getting-home-from-school business and just enjoyed getting to be with the family. Christy has one daughter who lives with them, and Howard's son and daughter recently came to live with them too. It was fun to see everyone and how they had changed since I saw them last.
A few of the members of the ward came by while we were there, and we were glad to see them. We had a fun dinner together and lots of talking and laughing. The missionaries even stopped by, and Matt and I enjoyed meeting them.
After the kids were in bed and the other guests had gone home Howard, Christy, Matt, and I stayed up talking. This talk was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. They have a way of sharing things that brings the Spirit so well and so strong. I love them so much, and that helped add to the way we felt. I was impressed that throughout our conversation, the topic would shift from fun to spiritual and back again quite a bit. We were laughing throughout, and yet sharing some very deep and personal things in between. I was so impressed that that was even possible without feeling like any mood was interrupted. I am impressed beyond words with the progress Howard and Christy have made and the obstacles they have overcome with the Lord's help. How pleased He must be with them! And there are few people I know who express that much determination to choose the right not matter how hard. Howard talked of how there are not struggles or temptations worth sacrificing the promises the Lord has given for those who keep His commandments. Not in those words, but in the words that described the application of that sentiment in his life. My faith was strengthened, and I felt joy being with them. Thank you, Howard and Christy for sharing so much with us. How I love you!
All too soon the next morning it was time to leave. I wish we could have spent more time with them, but I am so grateful for what we did have.
My first night there I met a wonderful family, the Bainbridges. Christy was scheduled to be baptized soon after, and we worked with her to help her finish getting ready for that. Her husband, Howard was not interested in being baptized but was very interested in all the discussions we had. He had studied the Bible a lot and had a lot of questions as we taught them. He was baptized a few months after I went home. They were sealed in the temple last year.
So it was to the Bainbridges' house we went. We jumped into the usual kids-getting-home-from-school business and just enjoyed getting to be with the family. Christy has one daughter who lives with them, and Howard's son and daughter recently came to live with them too. It was fun to see everyone and how they had changed since I saw them last.
A few of the members of the ward came by while we were there, and we were glad to see them. We had a fun dinner together and lots of talking and laughing. The missionaries even stopped by, and Matt and I enjoyed meeting them.
After the kids were in bed and the other guests had gone home Howard, Christy, Matt, and I stayed up talking. This talk was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. They have a way of sharing things that brings the Spirit so well and so strong. I love them so much, and that helped add to the way we felt. I was impressed that throughout our conversation, the topic would shift from fun to spiritual and back again quite a bit. We were laughing throughout, and yet sharing some very deep and personal things in between. I was so impressed that that was even possible without feeling like any mood was interrupted. I am impressed beyond words with the progress Howard and Christy have made and the obstacles they have overcome with the Lord's help. How pleased He must be with them! And there are few people I know who express that much determination to choose the right not matter how hard. Howard talked of how there are not struggles or temptations worth sacrificing the promises the Lord has given for those who keep His commandments. Not in those words, but in the words that described the application of that sentiment in his life. My faith was strengthened, and I felt joy being with them. Thank you, Howard and Christy for sharing so much with us. How I love you!
All too soon the next morning it was time to leave. I wish we could have spent more time with them, but I am so grateful for what we did have.
Thursday, January 14
Washington Day 3, Gabe, Tanya, and Angel
Monday morning we met up with Gabe and company for breakfast. I taught Gabe early on in my time in Olalla. He accepted the gospel right away and was baptized. He then took it upon himself to be the coolest missionary helper and friend there ever could be. He gave us rides (when he had a lady in the car) and hung out with us on preperation days. He took care of the elders even more (because he didn't need to bring a lady around for that.) He was always willing to help in any way he could. We enjoyed all the time we spent with him, and I think he drew a lot of strength from spending time with the missionaries (even more casual time like when we were playing games at the church on p-days.)
A year later most of us who had served around Gabe were home, and Gabe moved to Utah. So we still got to see him sometimes. I think there were six of us there celebrating with him as he received his endowment in the Salt Lake Temple as soon as he possibly could get there. What a wonderful time that was!
Before too long, he moved back up to Washington. We stayed in touch pretty well for a while, but talked less frequently as time went on. Still, I think of Gabe often and always hope that is life is going well.
That was a lot of background. So Monday morning we met Gabe for breakfast. He brought Tanya, his girlfriend, and Angel, his lion with him to see/ meet us. Angel and I have spent quite a bit of time together and are close. I was thrilled to see her and take some pictures together. I had not met Tanya before and very much enjoyed getting to know her a little.
We had a good breakfast, talking and laughing, remembering those great mission days, asking if we've talked to so-and-so recently. You know. Catching up and reminiscing. We all wore yellow in my family. We had to. It's Gabe. He supported my yellow fanaticism and even sometimes found yellow things that I just had to have. A lot of people do that for me. He told Tanya before they came that I would be wearing yellow. I'm glad I didn't disappoint. It was fun to introduce Gabe to my husband and children. I don't know that either of us forsaw that happening back in the mission days. Thanks for hanging out with us Gabe and Tanya! Anything you would like to add?
This is Matt's face as I took celebratory picture because we found the camera battery that was missing. What a relief!
Tanya, Gabe, and Noel.
Angel and Me. A happy reunion. (We lion sat for a while when Gabe lived with a dog who liked to try to eat Angel. There was some bonding and some fun picture taking that happened during that time.)
Me, Angel, Gabe
Amy, Angel, Me
A year later most of us who had served around Gabe were home, and Gabe moved to Utah. So we still got to see him sometimes. I think there were six of us there celebrating with him as he received his endowment in the Salt Lake Temple as soon as he possibly could get there. What a wonderful time that was!
Before too long, he moved back up to Washington. We stayed in touch pretty well for a while, but talked less frequently as time went on. Still, I think of Gabe often and always hope that is life is going well.
That was a lot of background. So Monday morning we met Gabe for breakfast. He brought Tanya, his girlfriend, and Angel, his lion with him to see/ meet us. Angel and I have spent quite a bit of time together and are close. I was thrilled to see her and take some pictures together. I had not met Tanya before and very much enjoyed getting to know her a little.
We had a good breakfast, talking and laughing, remembering those great mission days, asking if we've talked to so-and-so recently. You know. Catching up and reminiscing. We all wore yellow in my family. We had to. It's Gabe. He supported my yellow fanaticism and even sometimes found yellow things that I just had to have. A lot of people do that for me. He told Tanya before they came that I would be wearing yellow. I'm glad I didn't disappoint. It was fun to introduce Gabe to my husband and children. I don't know that either of us forsaw that happening back in the mission days. Thanks for hanging out with us Gabe and Tanya! Anything you would like to add?
This is Matt's face as I took celebratory picture because we found the camera battery that was missing. What a relief!
Tanya, Gabe, and Noel.
Angel and Me. A happy reunion. (We lion sat for a while when Gabe lived with a dog who liked to try to eat Angel. There was some bonding and some fun picture taking that happened during that time.)
Me, Angel, Gabe
Amy, Angel, Me
Washington Day 2, Dinner
Back at Dave and Donna's Sunday night we ate dinner. Dave's daughter and son-in-law and their 4 teenagers (who were very friendly and fun to talk to) were there as well. Plus Dave's mom, who has been staying with them for the last couple of months. Their family is welcoming and friendly and funny and kind. We enjoyed being with them very much. Matt taught a few of the boys how to play Bang! while the rest of us sat around and talked. Jim and Stacy (the daughter and son-in-law) are preparing to be sealed in temple as soon as possible, and they have enjoyed preparing alongside Dave and Donna. It was neat to feel their spirit during this special time for their family.
And this ended another great day.
And this ended another great day.
Washington Day 2, Kerry
There is a man who I taught in Olalla for quite a while. He tried to get rid of us, but it wouldn't work. He was interested in hearing what we had to say but not in gaining a testimony and changing his life. I was very sad that he didn't want to do that. Honestly, we probably should have moved on and not continued visiting him. But I didn't manage to do that. I just loved him SO MUCH. And still do. So every time I'm up there, I insist on seeing him. Somehow I'm lucky enough to have convinced him to like me too, so he's always happy to have me come. So it was off to Kerry's house after naptime.
And it was wonderful.
We talked about our families, our jobs, our health, answers to prayers, why we were in the area in the first place (I'm getting to that, just wait). Last time we talked to Kerry we were quite preachy and invited him to go to church after we were gone. This time we were less preachy, but I still wanted to remind him why missionaries preach the gospel, why we want people to learn about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even if they are already Christians. It is because this is the church Jesus Christ established, restored to the earth. In it is found God's authority which allows baptisms, marriages, and other ordinances to be effective in the next life as well as this one. In it we learn the way to return to our Heavenly Father and to live with our families forever. There is nothing I want more for myself and for others like Kerry who I love so much. So I had to tell him that.
It did my heart good to see him.
And it was wonderful.
We talked about our families, our jobs, our health, answers to prayers, why we were in the area in the first place (I'm getting to that, just wait). Last time we talked to Kerry we were quite preachy and invited him to go to church after we were gone. This time we were less preachy, but I still wanted to remind him why missionaries preach the gospel, why we want people to learn about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even if they are already Christians. It is because this is the church Jesus Christ established, restored to the earth. In it is found God's authority which allows baptisms, marriages, and other ordinances to be effective in the next life as well as this one. In it we learn the way to return to our Heavenly Father and to live with our families forever. There is nothing I want more for myself and for others like Kerry who I love so much. So I had to tell him that.
It did my heart good to see him.
Washington Day 2, Church
Sunday morning we went to church in the Olalla Ward. That is where I spent 9 months as a missionary. (Missions are 18 months long for the young ladies, and 9 months is quite a while to stay in any one area.) So I knew the members of that ward really well. I've also gone back to visit the ward a couple of times. It's always fun to visit. It was surprising this time, however, to realize that I forgot some of the people's names. Nothing was quite as fresh in my mind this time around. And less people remembered me. Some thought I looked familiar but couldn't figure out who I was. It was still fun for me.
A wonderful surprise at church was when I found out that the former bishop was substituting (for his wife) teaching Gospel Doctrine. I had worked a lot with him while I was there, and I can not possibly explain how much I love, admire, and respect him. It was great to see him and an added bonus to hear his lesson.
After church, we had family flop. We were all still SO TIRED. Naps were just non-negotiable. I woke up first and was antsy to get visiting but reluctant to wake anyone up. Matt still had bronchitis, and Noel still had her ear infection (we found out the day before we left about both of those.) Plus we were tired from not enough sleep plus traveling. That nap was necessary for Matt to be able to function normally again. But as soon as everyone was up, we were off. People to see.
A wonderful surprise at church was when I found out that the former bishop was substituting (for his wife) teaching Gospel Doctrine. I had worked a lot with him while I was there, and I can not possibly explain how much I love, admire, and respect him. It was great to see him and an added bonus to hear his lesson.
After church, we had family flop. We were all still SO TIRED. Naps were just non-negotiable. I woke up first and was antsy to get visiting but reluctant to wake anyone up. Matt still had bronchitis, and Noel still had her ear infection (we found out the day before we left about both of those.) Plus we were tired from not enough sleep plus traveling. That nap was necessary for Matt to be able to function normally again. But as soon as everyone was up, we were off. People to see.
Washington Day 1, Finish the Day
After getting off the ferry, we stopped by the store to pick up a few things we purposely didn't bring (like diapers). Then we finally showed up at Dave and Donna's house. They are the couple we went up there to see and who I will mention more. We were much later than we thought we would be just because everything took so long. We enjoyed visiting with them for a while and appreciated the dinner they fed us. After a while, Donna showed us to our mobile home that we stayed in most nights we were there. We were grateful to be finally heading towards bed. I had slept 2 hours the night before, Matt a little less because we were getting ready for the trip. (And Matt got up to help Noel who was coughing during his precious 2 hours of sleep.) Matt slept a little on the plane, but I could not because I had both kids with me, and they weren't sleeping. They were good, just not sleepy. Different times during the day it would hit one of us how desperately tired we were. So we were very happy to go to bed at the end of that wonderful day.
Washington Day 1, the Ferry
After the Children's Museum, we rode the ferry to get to the peninsula. We were so glad we went. It was amazing. It's funny. So many of the people there are used to going on the ferry all the time. Many people commute to and from work on the ferry each day. Lots of them don't even look out their windows or get out of their cars. We weren't sad or embarrassed to be the obvious tourists though. It was so fun and beautiful and great to be on that boat. I was so happy and excited to be in Washington as we rode along. What a wonderful day!
I don't know which pictures Matt will want to include so I'm putting them all up. Matt, you are welcome to delete whatever ones you want. I won't be offended. There are just so many beautiful pictures he took.
I don't know which pictures Matt will want to include so I'm putting them all up. Matt, you are welcome to delete whatever ones you want. I won't be offended. There are just so many beautiful pictures he took.
Washington Day 1, IHOP
After getting off the plane Saturday we went to lunch at IHOP. Normally, I wouldn't mention our lunch, but this place was awesome. All the staff that worked with us was so friendly. Our waitress talked to us every time she was over about the kids and made it her personal mission in life to get Noel to smile for her. She has 2 small kids too. So she kept relating to me about everything. I liked her so much. They gave a good impression for people of Seattle and just helped us enjoy ourselves. I was so impressed.
Washington Day 1, Children's Museum
We flew to Washington Saturday morning early enough to play that day. We had arranged to meet my cousin, Daniel and his wife and two kids to play together at the children's museum. We had a great time. For some rediculous reason, we didn't take any pictures of our families together or Daniel's family at all. Here are a few of Amy plus us by the Space Needle:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)