Father's Day

I realize this post is a day late, but that seems to be the way I work these days.  I am blessed to have an amazing father, who showed me by example what a father should be.  I continue to feel blessed with a husband who is a wonderful father to our children. I found some pictures that show some of the things I love about Tony in his role as father-honestly there is really nothing more attractive (I thought about using the word sexy just to make my kids who might read this cringe...) to me than when I see him caring for our children.  I love that he gets more emotional and worked up about our missionary daughter than I do.  I found a few pictures that show some of my favorite things that Tony does with our kids, that also demonstrate what I feel makes a good Dad.

1. Makes time for them.  When we were first married Tony went to school and worked full time.  Free time was almost impossible to find, but he found ways to make it work.  Ashley loved to sit on his lap while he was doing homework, and for those few precious minutes she would hold still.  I am grateful that he recognizes that taking those minutes make all the difference.

2. Teaches them to work.  The best way to teach a child to work is to work with them.  I love this picture of them washing the car, that of course turned into a water fight.  The work got done, and everyone had fun in the process.

3. Plays with them.  Tony is just a big kid.  He loves having fun with the kids.  Whether it is something big like going to Disneyland or going skiing, or something simple like jumping on the tramp with them or wrestling.  The kids always want Tony around because he brings the FUN!

What could be more fun than everyone sitting on Dad?  Dog pile on Dad was always a favorite at our house. 

5. Sharing passions.  Tony loves movies, and has passed that on to his children.  I love this picture with them all bundled up together watching a movie together.  He has even participated in High School Musical marathons with his daughters, even though he complained that he was losing brain cells the whole time.

6.  Loving.  He always noticed when little legs had gone as far as they could.  All the kids have enjoyed rides on Dad's shoulders.  Grant rode on Tony's shoulders for over 13 miles of hiking through Bryce Canyon, and here in Yellowstone too.  All the kids are too big for shoulder rides now, but he still knows when they need him.  Sometimes it is just a hug when their heart is hurting, other times it is giving father's blessings even in the middle of the night when needed.

7. Encourages goal setting and achieving.  Ashley and Jared both decided they wanted to run a half marathon.  So what did he do.  He ran with them (helps that he is crazy, and loves running).  He ran with one of them the whole way, and when he finished and realized that the other one hadn't finished yet, he went back and found them and finished up with them too.  He is always encouraging the kids to go after their goals, and sometimes even pushing when they don't want to be pushed.

8. Supportive.  He goes to every meet and tournament.  He can be found at multiple choir concerts and piano recitals.  He has attended every musical they have been in.  If the kids are doing it he is there for them. 

Lastly (sorry no picture for this one), he shows them by example the importance of loving the Lord and serving.  He leads out in our home to make sure that scripture study and family prayer always happen.  He honors his priesthood, and shows the kids the joy that can be found by living the gospel. 

Hope all the father's out there had a great day yesterday.  I suspect that no father feels that they have done or do enough, but to me all that matters is that they are trying.

 

Happy Birthday to my Aussie!

Today is Alexis' 20th birthday!  However in Australia it is now Friday, June 7th so it was her birthday yesterday there.  I am not in Australia, obviously, so it is still June 6th here.  This is the first birthday that we have not spent together, but as strange as that is, I really am glad she is where she is.  Not a day goes by that I don't think about her, and wonder how she is doing.  She has had her struggles in these first three months, with the visa delays and homesickness, but she is working it out.  Already the lessons she has learned will be invaluable to her throughout the rest of her life.  To hear her talk about calling people to repentance (not something she would do naturally), and being so overcome with love for the people she is teaching it warms my heart and makes all the hard stuff worthwhile.

I am grateful that my already amazing daughter, is having the opportunity to learn and to grow while she is sharing the gospel in Australia.   I hope that she has/had an amazing birthday today/yesterday (that whole different day thing is just weird), and that she could feel of our love for her on her special day.

Jared's First Prom

My 16 year old son decided he wanted to go to prom this year.  He was a little stressed about the whole thing, but I think he ended up having a good time. So crazy that all these little kids that I once had are now all getting old. (I had my very last primary child sing to me on Mother's Day-he will be 12 in October.  So strange...where does the time go!) Anyway enough waxing nostalgic!  Although I have mixed feelings about dances and the money and everything that goes with them, I think they can be fun and even reasonable.  I try not to make a big fuss out of it though, because I am not a big fan of the possible angst that comes when you don't get asked.  So we try to approach it as a fun part of high school, but not a necessary part of the school experience.  That being said it is fun as a mom to see your teenage son all dressed up, nervous and ready to go.  Hopefully he wasn't too stressed about the whole thing, and that he looks back on it as a good experience.

 

 

 

Be Still

Have you ever wanted to know the end from the beginning?  Wanted to know what the outcome would be before you started the race?  Wanted to know how your kids would be before you had them?  In essence wanted to know if the benefits would outweigh the risks and trials that accompany almost everything in this life?  However if we knew everything, we would not need to walk by faith and trust in God.  Life is scary sometimes, and it is so easy to counsel Heavenly Father on what we 'need' and how we need it right now.  In His goodness, he patiently listens to us whine, and ask the same questions repeatedly even gently chastising when necessary to help us learn to trust in Him and realize that His plan provides much more happiness, even joy, than our muddled and often visionless ideas.  Often in the turmoil that is our life, we have to take time to be still.  Be still and remember that God is in charge, and if we will trust in him our outcome really is known.  I find that the easiest times for me to be still are when I am out in nature.  When my mind is blown by the majesty of His creations, I feel that the Lord is in charge and that I can do whatever might be required.  So I am including in this post some of my favorite pictures of places that I have visited often and others that I have only seen once, but all remind me to Be Still.

Sunset Beach in Hawaii

Zion's

Arches

Bryce Canyon

Mueller Park in Bountiful

Yellowstone

Island Park, ID

She's finally in Australia!

What a roller coaster ride our life has been since October 2013.  I don't think I realized I was able to feel all the emotions I have felt since Lexie decided to serve a mission after Pres. Monson's announcement.  Having never had a missionary before, I wasn't sure what to expect, and honestly I feel I have been blessed with peace that I didn't know was even possible.  That being said though it is not easy!  When she didn't get her visa and stayed in the MTC for two extra weeks, and then being reassigned to another mission for 4 weeks while she was waiting was a very interesting experience. Of course what I wanted was that she would get her visa and be able to go, but evidently Heavenly Father had different things in mind, lessons that needed to be learned by her, and also by her parents.  Life is all about accepting Heavenly Father's will AND His timetable.  Putting our trust in an omniscient and  omnipotent being who will give us precisely the experiences we need to become all that He needs us to become.  Lexie definitely had some challenging experiences while serving in the South, but if she chooses, those experiences  will refine her and make her and even better missionary now that she is in Australia. 

YES!  She is in Australia. She arrived there Tuesday afternoon (Wednesday morning Australian time).  We got our mother's day call last night since there is a 16 hour time difference.  (So weird that we will get her Monday email today, that is going to take some getting used to.)  It was so fun to talk to her and laugh with her and hear the sparkle in her voice.  She is serving in a town called Grafton that hasn't had missionaries for a year I think she said.  They had just attended church when she called and there were 18 people there at the branch yesterday.  Sounds like she has some work to do!  She will be driving, and has already taken her test since her companion from Tahiti doesn't drive.  She said driving on the wrong side of the rode isn't too bad, except for when she came out of a roundabout on the wrong side.  Luckily no other cars were coming so she didn't die or anything.
She is a ten hour train ride away from Sydney in the far north of her mission.  They told her that where they are serving now is the mission they will be in when the the mission splits in July.  So she will serve in the Sydney North mission.  She said her 'flat' is amazing, leather couches and the whole bit.  Her companion, who has been out for 7 months, said she has never had such a nice apartment.  Sounds like she better enjoy that while it lasts. :) 

I am certain there will be plenty more challenges that lie ahead for her in the next 16 months, but I have learned to pray for what Heavenly Father knows is best for her, and not for what I think is best.  And when I forget that sometimes, I am sure He will continue to remind me.  So grateful to be a mother, and today especially a missionary mom!

Family Pictures

 The day before Lexie left we went to get family pictures taken.  The kids insisted it was necessary since Ashley was still our tallest child in the one on our wall. (9 years ago)  The best moment of the picture taking, was when the photographer asked which one of us was most excited to be there.  Jared quickly replied, "Probably you."  Yeah we love getting pictures taken.

Won't be getting this one, but it made me laugh!

Call Me Sentimental

Several weeks ago, my parents decided that it was time to downsize, and move to a condo. Although I know this was a great move for them, I was not prepared for the wave of emotions I would feel as we went through all of their things and tried to downsize their stuff to fit in the condo.  They have lived in their home in Bountiful for 27 years, and they have been married for almost 60 years, so as you can imagine they have accumulated a lot of things throughout the years.  Their home in Bountiful was also my home for my senior year in high school, and then Tony and I lived in their home for about 18 months while they were serving in Brazil for the second time. (Just in case you were wondering the spots on the carpet are probably from my kids during those 18 months.) Each time I was at their home helping them go through things, I found things that it just seemed wrong to part with.  So I always came home with more things to try to find room for in my home.

Christmas decorations were one of the first things we sorted through.  As box after box was going to go to DI, I saw the decorations that we have been putting on the "downstairs" Christmas tree since I was a young child in Brigham City.  I had to fight back the tears as the memories came flooding back, and I brought home a small box full that I will be adding to my tree even if they don't match! On another day we found a Smokey the Bear pillowcase that I used when I was little, and our baby blankets that we used throughout the years when we were sick. All these things just seemed to be an instant link to the past. This has not been an easy thing for me; I will miss their house, miss their amazing yard, miss their patio breakfasts.

The condo is different, but it already feels homey.  Perhaps it is because the people that live there are what makes it home.