They left a huge mess!
Mid-September Joseph came down with a lousy illness with a fever and sore throat. He hardly moved from the couch and missed three days of school, which is quite calamitous in middle school.
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
September
Mid-September Joseph came down with a lousy illness with a fever and sore throat. He hardly moved from the couch and missed three days of school, which is quite calamitous in middle school.
Rockaway Beach
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The kids made a sandcastle based on the fortifications Captain Moroni built around the cities to protect them from the Lamanites!
Friday, December 15, 2017
December thoughts
Wow, here I am one month later, still without pictures to upload. Once again, I think I'll just share a few thoughts about the last month. Later tonight most everyone in my family is busy, so maybe I will try to do a whirlwind job of uploading some pictures from the last few months. Or maybe I will just read a book and eat Christmas cookies while listening to Frank Sinatra and Karen Carpenter sing my favorite Christmas songs. That might be the very best choice!
I have to say that this has been a very peaceful Christmas season, and I'm very grateful for that fact. We worked hard at setting healthy boundaries on what we committed to during the past month (which included saying no to a number of invitations) and worked to get the things we value doing completed early in the month. That leaves me now, 10 days before Christmas, with the cards sent, the gifts bought and wrapped, the house decorated, and the goodies all made and delivered. Now my goal every day is to blast the very best Christmas songs at all times while I do all the daily stuff I need to do, interrupted only to talk to my family and to watch Christmas movies. I'm catching up on finishing a few books which are overdue at the library and helping some people in my ward/neighborhood who really need help. I'm doing some extra journaling and working through some of the complications of planning the 2018 stake primary stuff. But none of it feels stressful this year.
One thing I really, really appreciate is the amount of sunlight we have had this year. It's so unusual for us to have a long stretch of cold, sunny days. But, we haven't had measurable rain since Thanksgiving, and almost every day has been sunny and bright. That makes such a difference, and makes it much less overwhelming when the sun drops from the sky around 4 p.m.
We have been reading a Christmas book every night sitting on the floor by the tree, which is probably my favorite tradition. The kids are good about coming to sit by me but are definitely more distracted than they were in past years. Yet another proof that we are quickly becoming a family of teens/adults! But, I cherish the time we cuddle together listening to familiar stories with great messages.
The kids are all doing well, working through their various challenges. Life is hard sometimes, but they seem to all know where to turn for help when they need it. Dan and I are so grateful for each of them. I feel grateful for them all day every day, and I admire their courage and tenacity.
The last few months we have done the best we have done in YEARS at scripture study. Dan had a thought during stake conference about how we could structure scripture study more like he used to teach his seminary class. He has taken on the assignment to read ahead the next day's scriptures and look for some search questions and application questions we can consider while we read. We read while eating breakfast after Aubrey gets back from seminary, and we read about 4-5 verses each, which is just long enough. And we have had some great conversations and made some great connections during our brief study. Woohoo!
It's a truly peaceful Christmas season, despite the abundance of non-peaceful things going on in the world right now. We are grateful for each other and for the Savior.
I have to say that this has been a very peaceful Christmas season, and I'm very grateful for that fact. We worked hard at setting healthy boundaries on what we committed to during the past month (which included saying no to a number of invitations) and worked to get the things we value doing completed early in the month. That leaves me now, 10 days before Christmas, with the cards sent, the gifts bought and wrapped, the house decorated, and the goodies all made and delivered. Now my goal every day is to blast the very best Christmas songs at all times while I do all the daily stuff I need to do, interrupted only to talk to my family and to watch Christmas movies. I'm catching up on finishing a few books which are overdue at the library and helping some people in my ward/neighborhood who really need help. I'm doing some extra journaling and working through some of the complications of planning the 2018 stake primary stuff. But none of it feels stressful this year.
One thing I really, really appreciate is the amount of sunlight we have had this year. It's so unusual for us to have a long stretch of cold, sunny days. But, we haven't had measurable rain since Thanksgiving, and almost every day has been sunny and bright. That makes such a difference, and makes it much less overwhelming when the sun drops from the sky around 4 p.m.
We have been reading a Christmas book every night sitting on the floor by the tree, which is probably my favorite tradition. The kids are good about coming to sit by me but are definitely more distracted than they were in past years. Yet another proof that we are quickly becoming a family of teens/adults! But, I cherish the time we cuddle together listening to familiar stories with great messages.
The kids are all doing well, working through their various challenges. Life is hard sometimes, but they seem to all know where to turn for help when they need it. Dan and I are so grateful for each of them. I feel grateful for them all day every day, and I admire their courage and tenacity.
The last few months we have done the best we have done in YEARS at scripture study. Dan had a thought during stake conference about how we could structure scripture study more like he used to teach his seminary class. He has taken on the assignment to read ahead the next day's scriptures and look for some search questions and application questions we can consider while we read. We read while eating breakfast after Aubrey gets back from seminary, and we read about 4-5 verses each, which is just long enough. And we have had some great conversations and made some great connections during our brief study. Woohoo!
It's a truly peaceful Christmas season, despite the abundance of non-peaceful things going on in the world right now. We are grateful for each other and for the Savior.
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