O Christmas Tree!

As we drove up the driveway after church, Beth noticed the Christmas tree lights through the window. She shouted in excitement, "Mom! The Christmas tree is home!"

Giving thanks...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day filled with food, family, and relaxing (and entertaining) conversation. I thought that it's time the children go public in expressing thanks.

Ammon (age almost 9): I'm thankful for everything. And video games. I'm thankful for Jesus. I'm thankful for earth. I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful for PUMPKIN PIE!!

Sarah (age 7): I'm thankful for my family, that I can be with them on Thanksgiving. I'm also thankful for the holidays that we get to spend time with our family. I'm thankful for my Savior.

Nathan (age 5): I'm thankful for my blanket, my thumb, my mom and dad and video games. I'm thankful for candy. I'm thankful for the earth.

Beth (age 3) is already asleep, so I can't be certain what she would say. However, today she seemed thankful for Nathan, her cousin Hannah, crackers, cheese, her baby dolls and her pogo-ball.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving day.

Giving thanks

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.


G. Washington

Giving thanks...

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name" (Psalm 92:1).

"Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice" (2 Nephi 9:52).

"Let a spirit of thanksgiving guide and bless your days and nights" (President Gordon B. Hinckley).

Giving thanks

Whenever I hear the song of a bird

Or look at the blue, blue sky,

Whenever I feel the rain on my face

Or the wind as it rushes by,

Whenever I touch a velvet rose

Or walk by our lilac tree,

I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world

Heav’nly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see

The color of butterfly wings.

He gave me my ears that I might hear

The magical sound of things.

He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:

I thank him rev’rently

For all his creations, of which I’m a part.

Yes, I know Heav’nly Father loves me.

Clara W. McMaster

Giving thanks

Today I have been grateful for things that ground me. (And I don't mean my parents who would send me to my room for my excessive naughtiness.) A few years ago, Chris wrote a song called "Gravity" that is about me, Megan. Part of the lyrics say "Like the line that keeps the astronauts from floating out to space, like a heavy anchor wrapped around my feet, mama, you're my gravity."

I think I could take offense at being called an anchor, like I'm holding him back. But in reality gravity is a life-saving part of the physical world. I would like to list ten things that bring me gravity, ten things that ground me. I am grateful for these things because they are life-saving parts of my world.

1. Chris. Chris is my stability. He balances my emotions. He is devoted and loyal and reminds me of the things that matter most.

2. My testimony. I have been blessed to have faith. Faith is a gift from God and I am grateful for mine. My testimony keeps me from making all sorts of stupid choices. Having a perspective of eternity changes my daily outlook. I am so grateful for my testimiony and I guard it carefully and nurture it.

3. My beautiful children. I feel blessed beyond measure that I am allowed to be a mother. When I feel myself floating away emotionally, one look at a little face who needs me can bring me back to my reality.

4. God's beautiful creations. In our homeschool co-op we are learning about the planets and it is humbling. I marvel at God's vast creations. The beauty around me (and far from me) is beyond description.

5. The scriptures. I love the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I feel like I can never read the Gospel and Epistles of John enough. I feel God's love for me, and for everyone, powerfully whenever I open a book that contains His word.

6. America. Why am I so privileged to have been born in this amazing country in this amazing time? I love my freedoms. America, the idea of America as well as the reality, is truly a gift from God.

7. Technology. It sounds pretty stupid, I know. But in the last year or so since I began blogging and got a Facebook account, I have been able to renew and strengthen important friendships. In many cases, these are friends that have deeply affected me and changed my life. But I haven't seen or heard from them in many, many years. Thanks to technology we are able to stay in touch and my friends lift me when I am down.

8. Prayer. Wow. I can talk to God anytime I want. Anytime. About anything. And He answers me.

9. The Holy Ghost. Consistent, quiet promptings to help me choose what is right. Comfort when I'm sad. Guidance when I'm confused. It is stated that the Gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift God can give His children in mortality. I believe that and I experience it.

10. The Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. "He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death"  (Mosiah 16:9). Jesus Christ has provided me a way, the Way, to overcome my own sins and shortcomings. He lights the way through this life. His Atonement is a gift of safety to me. He provides my ultimate grounding to reality and to eternity.

I could go on and on. I'm so grateful. And I'm excited for the very sacred and religious Thanksgiving holiday this week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Gems from Ammon

To Nathan: "If you were a superhero, they would call you Annoyingman!"

When asked to organize his drawers, "People have different talents. Organizing drawers is not my talent. My talents are burping and eating beef jerky."

Birthday pictures

Sweet little Bethie.
She is so sweet, so patient, so loving, so adorable, so funny.

She is a joy to have in our family.

Everybody loves Beth,
so I decided to post photos of everybody loving her. :)

With Sarah...

(I should point out that Beth chose her own wardrobe today!)

With Ammon and the gift Ammon gave her. "Ohh, so cute!"

Enjoying her pizza dinner (I go all out for birthday meals!):

With Daddy ("Look up, Beth!" I said.):

Beth chose a Blue's Clues themed party.

She's been planning it for some time!

With me, her Mom.

With Nathan (again, "Look up, Beth!"

I've got to stop saying that.)

With Grandma and Grandpa:

Showing off her new BYU backpack:

I think we'll never get her off her new favorite accessory.

She's been waiting so patiently.

Birthdays are fun and Beth is fun;

therefore, Beth's birthday is double the fun.

Getting ready for the big day...

Beth's birthday is tomorrow. We bought her gifts yesterday. She is going to get (don't tell!) a pogo-ball. What do you call those? A big ball she can sit on and bounce around. I asked Chris to blow it up so that when she opens it, she can bounce around instead of stare at a box. He started blowing it up yesterday and then came running into our bedroom. He said, "Oh no! Beth caught me!" He quickly hid the ball under a blanket. Beth came in and said, "Dad, do you have a bouncy ball?" Chris said, "Um...yes. But it's for your birthday, so you'll have to wait." Beth said, "Okay." And left the room.

Did I mention she's only two? (At least for a few more hours!) She's such a sweetheart.

Primary

The Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation was today. It was very nice. Sarah had her very long parts memorized to perfection. I liked it when I heard her through the microphone saying to the primary president, "No. I don't need help. I have it memorized." Ammon didn't feel well today, but he made it through and looked good doing it. Nathan always presents a concern. He refused to practice his part or the songs. He told us repeatedly he wasn't going to participate. But in the end, he sat up there like a big kid. He sang every word of every song. He sat reverently even though he was next to his best (and a little crazy) friend. And he said his parts soft and clear. (I was going to say loud and clear, but I know Nathan's loud, and that wasn't it!) I was very impressed with with all three of them. Aren't they beautiful?!

My handwriting

Everybody has something they really like about themselves. At least they ought to. I really like my own handwriting. I write beautifully. My printing is very neat, but it still has personality. And my writing is just plain beautiful. Since I really like the way I write, it obviously reveals some great things about me. I took several online handwriting analyses. I was SHOCKED at how accurately the results describe me. Because I have taken a lot of Facebook quizzes and they are always ridiculously wrong. Here are the results and my own little comments just to make it more fun. This will be another long blentry...consider yourself warned. If you don't know me well, I may come across a little arrogant. In person, I'm quite nice.

You are open to world around you and like to socialize with other people. (I do like people. My favorite activity? Sitting around and talking. With some food.)

You are focused, concentrate easily. (Oh, yes. This is why I was so successful in school.)

You are introspective and shy. (Open to the world, social, and introspective and shy? It doesn't make much sense. But it describes me perfectly.)

You may be restricting yourself in some way. (Well, of course I am. But I call it discipline, obedience, or keeping the commandments.)

You tend to be skeptical and unswayed by emotional arguments. (Yes, just recently a friend of mine posted a link to an ACLU position on a topic of interest to me. I eagerly read looking for ideas to solve this problem. But all I found were a bunch of sob stories. Ridiculous. What a waste of my time. This is why I usually delete forwarded e-mails. Just the facts, people.)

You are intellectually probing and like to study new things. (Yes indeed. And then I like to write about them. I have so many half-written opinion pieces, because before I'm done writing I have discovered something new to study.)

You are versatile. (Hmmm...my wardrobe isn't. But I get along with a wide variety of people and I like to do different things. I'll take it.)

You plan ahead, and are interested in beauty, design, outward appearance, and symmetry. (I majored in planning. Literally. And I love to draw and create, but all of my creations have a sort of geometric beauty as opposed to abstract or lilting beauty.)

You are a shy, idealistic person who does not find it easy to have relationships, especially intimate ones. (I'm not sure this is true. I am idealistic, but I have many close friends. Then again, they are only as close as I allow them to be. Maybe it is true. I don't let a lot of people in to my heart. That's because they might hurt my heart and I don't like that.)

You are affectionate, passionate, expressive, and future-oriented. (Even as a teenager, I made decisions by thinking, "Is this something I want to someday tell my kids I did?" That's future-oriented. Those other adjectives I think describe me, but most people don't see that in a casual acquaintance.)

You are a talkative person, maybe even a busybody! (Definitely not a busybody, but I talk a lot. But not to everyone. In fact, a lot of people think I don't talk at all.)

You enjoy life in your own way and do not depend on the opinions of others. (What a blessing! I couldn't care less what anybody thinks of me. Although I do want people to like me. That's not because I need acceptance, it's just because I'm so likeable, why miss out on me?)

You have the ability to put yourself into the other person's shoes. (This can be annoying. But I think it's true. I'm always imagining how it would feel to be going through what other people face.)

You have the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because you are in between. Psychology calls you an ambivert. You understand the needs of both types. Although they get along, you will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." You don't sway too far one way or the other. (Yeah, I don't like weirdos...but I like most everybody.)

You are a "middle-of-the-roader" politically as well as logically. You weigh both sides of an issue. You don't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue. (I like this about me. I think I am truly politically independent, and in my mind, that means I can choose the correct side to any issue. I am so balanced.)

You will demand respect and will expect others to treat you with honor and dignity. You believe in your ideas and will expect other people to also respect them. (Oh, so true. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people treat me like my ideas or my life's choices are stupid. I'm okay with being different, but please give me some respect.)

You will be candid and direct when expressing your opinion. You will tell others what you think if they ask for it. So if you don't want my opinion, don't ask for it! (A friend recently sent me a brief message asking my opinion on a matter he is facing with his children. Facebook has limits on how long an e-mail message can be, so I had to break up my response into three (3!) separate messages. I apologized for my lengthy response but reminded him that he asked for it. He said, "I knew you felt passionately about this and I also knew you are opinionated. That's why I asked you." Oh, dear. I'm not sure it's a good thing. On the other hand, if you don't ask my opinion, I keep it to myself. Usually.)

You have the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. Your mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. You can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. You can then switch into low gear. When on the slower mode, you can be creative, remember longer, and stack facts in a logical manner. You are more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip. (Well, thank you.)

You are a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. You have a positive self-esteem which contributes to your success. You feel you have the ability to achieve anything you set your mind to. However, you set your goals using practicality--not too "out of reach." Your self-perception is better than average. (Did anyone out there doubt that my self-perception is better than average? For the record, I don't think I'm better than anyone else. What stumps me is why everyone doesn't love themselves as much as I do.)

You exaggerate. Without the intent to deceive or mislead, you blow things out of proportion because that is the way you view them. You are a good story teller. You allow many people into your life because you are accepting and trusting. You have a vivid imagination. (I love to tell stories. And I can be a little dramatic. That's what makes the story interesting.)

Well, now you know all about me. And aren't you dying to see an example of my impeccable handwriting?

Veterans Day

So, today is a holiday. It's one of those meaningful holidays that doesn't include a lot of wild parties. Let me list a few of the veterans in my family:

• My dad, Peter, served in the Army National Guard.
• My father-in-law, Bob, served in Vietnam.
• My brother, Jeff, served in Iraq and is active-duty Army.
• My nephew, Andrew, is in the Army and expects to be deployed to Afghanistan.
• My cousins, Tyler, Ellen, Jason, Ben, and Lewis have served (or still serve) in the Marines, Army, and Air Force. Ben served in Iraq.
• My uncles, Chub and Bert. Bert served in Vietnam and I believe Chub was in the Army, but I could be wrong.
• My husband's grandfather, Friday Hema, served and was killed in Korea.
• My great-great-something-grandfather, Mr. Rawlins, served in the Revolutionary War. Of course, he was a Tory and I believe he suffered a traitor's fate in the end. I should double check that story with my uncle.

The media is very odd on the issue of veterans. It seems they want to honor and support our military, but at the same time they are quick to latch on to any story of a member of the military who does something naughty. I am very grateful that I have my brother. When I am bothered by what I hear on the news, I ask Jeff questions. His answers, the way he thinks things through, and the way he acts, bring me considerable peace of mind. I am confident that we have many good men and women in our military who are trying to keep the world safe. Ecclesiastes teaches us that there is a time for war and a time for peace. As much as I want to live in a peaceful world, I recognize that it will not be completely possible until the Prince of Peace returns. To truly be Christian, we cannot allow bad people, wherever they are, to continue hurting others. In the situations we presently face, I strongly believe that we are the good guys. (And by "we," I mean American soldiers.)

I hope this is okay with Jeff...I would like to print something he recently wrote to me. "I know I'm a soldier, warrier, and a protector of the innocent. I do it because I believe God equipped me for it, and it is up to me and others like me to protect those who aren't necessarily equipped to protect themselves." Jeff does things I couldn't do. I enjoy my freedoms. I like my peaceful little life. I recognize that freedom is not free. I need people like Jeff to protect me.

The other cool thing about Jeff is that he feels passionately about democracy and freedom. He feels a passionate desire to share democracy with the world. (I can't print that word for word because it was a spoken conversation.) I love that about him. While he was stationed in Iraq, his particular assignment required a lot of interaction with Iraqi citizens. Jeff got the wonderful opportunity to be in Iraq during their first democratic election. He was assigned to arrange to get Iraqi police and military to the voting polls safely. He has the coolest picture of some of his Iraqi  peers, just after they voted, holding up their fingers stained with ink and smiling with the smiles of people tasting freedom.
I taste freedom everyday and I am daily grateful for those who provide it for me--both past and present. I know it's cliche, but I'll say it anyway. We are the home of the free because of the brave. Thank you to all who have served honorably, and especially those who do so with a positive attitude!

A little sidenote, Jeff couldn't be as successful in his career without his wife. She is AMAZING in her ability to find the positive in every assignment, in her support of her husband, and in her desires to share freedom in any capacity she can. It is because of women like Cami that we can have stable soldiers like my brother in the military.

I found this little Veterans Day tribute. Most of the youtube videos recognizing servicemen were set to country music. I don't like twang. And then I found this. This is Journey. Journey is among Jeff's favorite bands. (At least they used to be.) So, I thought it was fitting. If you'd like to watch, click here.

Super Beth

Today Beth was charging across the house, running as fast as those cute little legs can carry her. She had a serious look of intense concentration on her face. She had her fist high in the air and was muttering something. She ran straight toward Sarah. It looked to me like she was angry and getting ready to punch Sarah. (It's possible. She can't stay sweet and perfect forever.) I said, "Beth!!! Stop! What are you doing?" She looked a little confused at the interruption. She said, "I'm super-ing."

Oh, of course. Superman flies about with his fist in the air and a look of concentration. Perhaps she was muttering to herself about all the people needing saving. She has been super-ing all day long. She even demonstrated for me after I got out the camera. (She usually stops whatever she is doing and pretends to be shy when the camera is visible.) She even demonstrated for Grandma, which is a very big deal. (I would display her super-ing pictures here, but I'm on the wrong computer. My photos are in the other room and it is very far away.)

Secret Prayer

Ammon had a tired, grumpy day. He has tried to be cheerful but that requires tremendous effort. Dinner was the worst--absolute worst--part of the day. Ammon was too grumpy to get up to the table and way too grumpy to eat. But Nathan was cheerful. He claimed that it was his favorite kind of chicken and it was delicious. (We know that isn't true...his favorite chicken is rotisserie, not something I bake.)

Out of the blue, Nathan said, "Excuse me for a moment." And he disappeared under the table. I looked under at him--surely he was up to something mischievious. You know Nathan. He said, "Mom, I need some privacy." And he crawled under my chair. It's a little more difficult to look at him under my own chair. Beth thought he was playing a fun game of hide and seek. She tried to join in. He said, "Beth! I need to be alone. I'm trying to pray." Then he said, "Ammon, you can look. It's a surprise for you."

Later, I asked Nathan about his prayer. He told me he was praying that Ammon wouldn't be sad any more. Isn't that sweet? (Your line here is, "Yes. Yes, it is.")

A few minutes after dinner, Sarah came upstairs with a homemade card. It was to Ammon and the purpose was to make him happy. Who can be sad with Nathan and Sarah around?

Don't be scared...

The children were playing a wild game of tag all over a playground today. Beth is the slowest runner, so she became it pretty early. She stayed it for most of the game because she is the slowest runner. Nathan and Sarah were running from her and screaming very dramatically as if terrified. Beth seemed confused as to why they were scared of her. She pointed right at her own belly and said, "It's me. Beff. IT'S BEFF!"

Oh, right. No need to panic. It's just Beff.

Halloween pictures

Halloween

I know I'm a day late. I'm usually late. Oh well.

I have never liked Halloween. I hate dressing up. I hated it when I was a little kid. I hate drawing attention to myself. And I've never really enjoyed all of the spooky or pretend spooky/goofy things that go with the holiday. But then one day...my brother got married.

My brother's wife, Laura, LOVES Halloween. I don't get it. Last year I was just getting into the blog thing. I started reading her blog sometime during October. She wrote everyday about some fun aspect of Halloween. I found myself looking forward to the holiday for the first time. Wow.

Then this year, my sister, Brynn, and I were put in charge of the annual family Halloween party. Oh my goodness, I got so into the planning (and you all know how I love to plan!) that I couldn't help but be excited for the whole holiday. Let me share with you our Halloween adventures. These are in kind of a random order. Sorry about that.

• A week before Halloween, we went to a church trunk-or-treat party. The kids dressed up and they had a ball! Ammon was a robot. He has been planning and creating his costume since last Halloween. In the end it was made from cardboard and duct tape. He loved it and the other kids at the party thought it was SO COOL that he had made his own costume! Sarah was Sleeping Beauty. She likes to be princesses. Nathan usually has very specific ideas for costumes, but when it comes down to wearing them in front of people, he refuses. This year was different. He was Spiderman and has worn the costume almost every day. Bethie was also a little princess. She wore a new nightgown Grandma Suzie just sent. She thought she was beautiful.
• I thought that since we trunk-or-treated, we shouldn't have to trick-or-treat. Afterall, our neighbors were the ones who were at the party. There's no reason to beg off them twice. Plus I hate having that much candy in my house. Ick and double ick. I decided to have a Harry Potter party at home instead. We read Harry Potter as a family earlier this year and I finally decided to allow the kids to see the first movie. They were so excited about the party, they really didn't care about not going door to door. We had a blast together.
• On Friday, we had our extended family party. You know, the one Brynn and I planned. Oh boy, was it fun! I must have been missing my sisters-in-law, Laura and Cami, because I planned the party to remind me of them. Let me tell you what we did.
• We ate chili. I know, everyone eats chili at Halloween. But we used Cami's recipe. I don't like chili that much, but this was DELICIOUS!! Cami, you've really outdone yourself again.
• We played a bunch of silly party games. Everyone seemed to have a good time.
• We had a little storytime to entertain some of the kids while the others were still working on their Creepy Crafts. And the books we used? Ones Laura had recommended via Facebook earlier this week. (That's another story in itself.)
• During the costume parade, we played music. The music we used? Songs Laura had on her blog playlist. Thanks for your creative energies, Laura.
• On Saturday we made Halloween sugar cookies. We used my aunt's recipe for the cookies and frosting. Last year, we made those same cookies with Jacob and Laura. Their daughter, Naomi, and my Sarah have birthdays eight days apart in October. Last year, we met halfway between their birthdays for a cookie party. As we were making the cookies this year, I wished that Naomi and Sarah had had a cookie party tradition for six years instead of just one. And I wished that we could go to Iowa to decorate the cookies with Naomi and Boyce.
• One of our favorite past times this month? Watching silly Monster Mash videos. Laura and Cami both made e-cards with their family members' heads attached to different Halloween characters. I am having a lot of trouble explaining this. Anyway, they were funny videos and the kids have watched them over and over and over. I wanted to show them at the party, but there wasn't an internet connection in the party room.

I think this post is a little dull...sorry about that. Here, I'll get to the point. Halloween was fun this year! Largely thanks to Cami and Laura who live far away but still influence me.

Daily Choices

"By small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6).

"The course of our lives is seldom determined by great, life-altering decisions. Our direction is often set by the small, day-to-day choices that chart the track on which we run. This is the substance of our lives--making choices" (President Gordon B. Hinckley).

I've been thinking about daily choices today. Today I chose to do something I didn't want to do. It's not that big of a deal. It's not even worth mentioning. But being aware of the fact that I was making a decision helped me realize it is the tiny choices more than the big ones that ultimately determine our character.