Spring Break and Easter

After you see the number of pictures you'll cut me a break for not posting sooner, right? Highlight include: an afternoon to This Is The Place Monument in Salt Lake, our annual Easter Egg Hunt, a family baseball game, Easter dinner, going to church, and just hanging out and enjoying the Price cousins (Kess, 10; Kira, 6; and Natasha, 2).

1. The trip up. It was a million times better than our last trip. Bryce made a genius move in buying that DVD player. He also had little presents to hand out hourly. You'd think the kids would be easier to travel with as they got older, but not so.

Our trip up. The kids watching Les Miserables on our new DVD player.

Mary was especially annoyed that I took this picture during "the sad part" of the movie.

2. We love Grandma and Grandpa's house. They have an amazing back yard. This cousins built this fort and ate lunch there. We also had a fun time at This Is The Place Monument in SLC.

Kids and their lunches.

Mary, Kess, and Kira feeling brave and visionary, just like Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

Natasha and Tyce.

The kids loved walking on stilts.

It was pretty hard to master.

Cam is up!

Tyce helped the girls.

Almost there, Kess!

We learned that 13 people lived in this cabin--the parents and 4 girls slept in the main room and all 7 boys climbed an outside ladder and slept in the crawl space of the roof. Mind-blowing.

Riding horses! Cam was not a fan.

Harrison loved it.

Kess looked like a pro.

How cute is that Kira?

Mary and Kess.

Kess was a good big sister and helped Natasha.

Petting baby chicks and bunnies. I absolutely love these pics of Harrison!

How cute is he?

Tyce made friends with a guy who worked there. They talked about riding horses.

He's a handsome young man.

Mary is a cute CHICK herself. Haha,

She and the other kids spent a long time loving those little animals.

Kira and a chick.

Harrison and a bunny.

He was very sweet to those creatures.

Some good-looking dudes.

I love Kess's pretty blue eyes.

Who knew that Grandpa Al had a soft spot for bunnies?

Showing off some of  their favorite babies.

Little Miss On-the-Go!

Sweet Kira.

The (Richard and Mary Goble) Pay Family cabin. This are Bryce's people. The cousins minus Harrison.

In typical Harrison fashion, he was off doing his own thing.

There were nearly a dozen people in the Pay family, living in a house the size of my living room.

Later the kids panned for gold.

Natasha held still long enough for me to snap this cute picture.

Kira was dedicated and her hard work payed off.

Tyce, Grandpa Al, and Bryce.

My love and I.

Riding the train back to the entrance.

Miss Kira.

3. Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday! The kids look forward to this every year.

Gathering together to get instructions. This year the kids had clues to follow.

Tyce helped Cam with his clues.

Natasha was ready to hunt.

Bryce and Grandma Judy helped Harrison figure out where to go next.

There were a ton of places to look!

Go Cam!

He would have done better not to follow Mary.

Kess cleaned up.

Pretty Mare.

Even Katie got a new toy, a dragon with 16 squeakers.

Since Tyce was too old to care about plastic bunny toys and jellybeans, he had a treasure hunt made just for him.

What did he get? iTunes gift cards. Thank you, Easter Bunny.

4. Post-Hunt baseball game. After enough sugar had been consumed we indulged in America's favorite past time. Tyce played Little League for several years but the other kids knew surprisingly little about the rules of the game. Luckily Grandpa Al, Andy, and Bryce were on hand to do some coaching.

Grandpa and Kess.

Mary rounding to first base.

When Harrison connects with the ball, it's out of the park.

Kess got some tips from her dad.

Harrison stealing 3rd.

It's a serious game when someone loses a shoe and the dog runs on to the field!

Cam up to bat.

Kira at Saturday's pre-Easter dinner.

Check out Natasha!

Pretty Kess.

 

 

5. Easter Sunday we went to church with Bryce's parents. Wish we could have stayed another day but we had to leave that very afternoon.

Sharp-looking twins Harrison and Cameron.

Mary and our Easter dog.

The whole family take 1.

The whole family take 2. I think they both have their merits and issues but hey, there we are.

It was a great trip as always and so hard to leave. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed celebrating the joy of Easter with wonderful family.

Spring Happenings

Holy Hannah, where has the time gone? Here are some things that have gone on since I last wrote. A little of this and that, if you will.

1. St. Patrick's Day was on Sunday so what kind of green was appropriate for church? Fancy socks, of course. I got green nail polish for Mary. This was another "off" day for two of the kids and my plans (green-themed table decorations, Irish stew, rainbow cupcakes) did not quite work out. It's not like a holiday celebrating leprechauns and four leaf clovers is on par with Christmas or Easter, so I just take a deep breath and say better "luck" to us next year.

Cam's socks.

2.  Poor Harrison was so tired one afternoon that he fell asleep in a laundry basket!

That's quite a place to nod off. 

3. Katie and Cosmo have had many play dates.

Best buds.

4. Harrison wheeled the office chair into the little bathroom one day. I found him parked in front of the mirror, drawing a self-portrait.

"Harrison Alan Jones" by Harrison, age 8.

He also drew Bryce (on top) and Cameron, I think. How awesome are these?

Father and son.

5. Harrison was Colt of the Month in March! Teachers give this award to students who have improved in an area, and Harrison was nominated because of this increased test scores. In fact, the counselor said that his scores had improved the most in his whole class. Nice job, Hare!

He was pleasantly surprised that Mary came to see him get his award.

That's Harrison.

His teacher's recommendation. How nice!

6. Tyce took a self-portrait while I drove him to an appointment.

Oh, teenagers.

He also spazzed it up with Mary's friends.

Cam took this picture of Bella dragging Tyce down the hall.

When he wasn't pretend-threatening Sara or Bella, he was mixing it up with the twins.

You can imagine how our trip to the pool--with Sara, Bella, Mary, Tyce, Cameron, Harrison, and friend Andrew--went. Mary got the whistle blown on her for screeching.

Tyce also had a choir concert. That's pretty much what happened up until spring break and Easter.

New Beginnings

Last Wednesday I took Mary to New Beginnings, the kick-off activity for Personal Progress each year. The leaders prepared the cutest activity! It was a football theme and the everything fit together so well. The leaders all had shirts labeled with their positions; for example, the president was "head coach", the Personal Progress specialist was "special teams", the counselors were offensive and defensive coordinators, etc. The front of the shirts each had a letter or symbol which, when they all stood together, spelled "UR #1 FANS!". There was a talk by Sister Moser on the theme, a half-time talk by Brother Hafen, and then Sister Campbell led the girls in a Jeopardy!-style game where each answer was worth 6 points. Whichever team got the answer right got to kick a giant inflatable football into a giant inflatable goal post for the extra point. That was so much fun. There were two other games, a bean bag toss and a ring toss onto an inflatable hat. After that there were "concessions" of popcorn, nachos, and cotton candy. It was a really great night and by far the most fun I've ever had at New Beginnings!

Mary and Taya with their treats.

Lift Where You Stand

Last Sunday Sister Callihan taught a lesson based on President Uchtdorf's 2008 talk called Lift Where You Stand.

"Some years ago in our meetinghouse in Darmstadt, Germany, a group of brethren was asked to move a grand piano from the chapel to the adjoining cultural hall, where it was needed for a musical event. None were professional movers, and the task of getting that gravity-friendly instrument through the chapel and into the cultural hall seemed nearly impossible. Everybody knew that this task required not only physical strength but also careful coordination. There were plenty of ideas, but not one could keep the piano balanced correctly. They repositioned the brethren by strength, height, and age over and over again—nothing worked.

As they stood around the piano, uncertain of what to do next, a good friend of mine, Brother Hanno Luschin, spoke up. He said, 'Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand.'

It seemed too simple. Nevertheless, each lifted where he stood, and the piano rose from the ground and moved into the cultural hall as if on its own power. That was the answer to the challenge. They merely needed to stand close together and lift where they stood."

President Uchtdorf went on to say that the Lord expects each of us to do whatever we are called to do, whether it be large or small, to simply lift where we stand.

Two sisters in our class shared stories that really touched me. The first was a lady (a visitor) who said that in her ward a couple she knew were called to be greeters. The couple was to stand at the door to the chapel before the meeting, shake hands, welcome members, and hand them a program. The woman in this couple felt that calling was beneath her abilities and was a little insulted to be asked to do such an small job. However, she did fulfill her assignment. After many months a single older woman came up to this greeter and said, "I feel like you are the only one who knows or cares that I come to church. You ask me how I am and make me feel like I belong." How does that change the significance of the assignment? To make a difference in the life of one person is to be an angel here on earth.

Another sister, a new member, shared how much she loves her calling washing the baptismal clothes. She said, "When I pick up the clothing I think of the person who wore them and what it means now that they are baptized. My calling is doing laundry and I love it!" What a wonderful service to provide, especially on the heels of her own baptism a few short months ago.

That lesson helped open my eyes to the many people who serve without fanfare, accolades, or public recognition. I think of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. The first two servants were given a certain amount of talents based on their abilities; they both doubled their talents. The Lord was pleased with their efforts and says to them in verses 21 and 23:

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Where we serve is not nearly as important as HOW we serve. I hope that I always accept callings with the humility and wisdom to know that I am part of a great work of building the kingdom of God; I hope that I always find the strength to lift where I stand.

Progress

It's been about two months since I started on my road to better living. I still feel good and have more energy. I am still committed to clean eating and exercising my heart through walking and yoga. I am focused and energized by my progress--to date I have lost 10 pounds! In times past I have lost much more weight more quickly through starvation, diet pills, and other crutches. But now my goal is to be healthy rather than be skinny; healthy is a lifestyle while skinny is just a number on a scale.

Here's what I've done:

--Tracked everything I've eaten, every single day, on a website called myfitnesspal.com.
--Walked briskly for 20-45 minutes, every day.
--Yoga several times a week. I've found a few routines I like on YouTube.
--Go on to the Health and Fitness category on Pinterest to keep myself motivated. And then I go to Women's Fashion and think about cute clothes.
--Pray for strength.

While the family is supportive of my changes, life has not been rosy for them:

--The house is a wreck.
--I don't make fun FHE treats or even plan very family-friendly meals. Sometimes I don't make dinner at all.
--I get annoyed when they go out for fast food or, heaven forbid, bring home doughnuts. (That's only happened once.)

Anyway. Everyone has actually been great. People are very encouraging.

Sorry if this seems self-indulgent to say but I am proud of myself. I lived so long not believing I could do this--too, too long.

 But now I'm doing it. And I'm loving it.

Valentine's Day

What do you think of Valentine's Day? Is it a made-up day to force people into buying flowers and chocolate? Is it a day for romance and amor? For me, it's a day to decorate with my favorite colors and show my family I think they're pretty cool. I like having a special day to celebrate the love of family and friends.

I don't do anything fancy but I do enjoy setting a festive table.

Woo! It's a heart attack!

I gave each kid a little pressie of candy and gum. Can you believe I got each of these things for 25 cents on clearance at Fresh and Easy?

I started off the morning teaching seminary. I say that I "taught" but we really had a party, planned by the class. I brought these treats for the kids. I exercised super-human restraint by passing up all FOUR doughnut boxes brought in. When you're trying to be healthy the world is out to get you.

Kettle corn.

I taught a short lesson on love, using my favorite visual for John 3:16. And then I got a surprise from my sweet student, Ashley--a Valentine card for me!

It was the teacher card!

 For breakfast I bought Toaster Strudel and made an egg, sausage, and potato casserole in the crock pot. I, of course, had a smoothie.

Awwww.

That night I made my piece de resistance, LUVSAGNA. I waited all month to spring that delightfully fitting-sounding menu item on my family.

Luv it.

For dinner I gave everyone a small box of chocolates (Ghiradelli squares for Bryce). I continued my tradition of giving each person a special card wherein I write three things I love about them.

I just realized I didn't take any pictures of the people I love, which is kind of ironic for someone who professes to be a fan of Valentine's Day. The twins brought cards to school (Star Wars for Harrison, The Avengers for Cam). They had fun class parties and ate a lot of sugar. Mary had a fairly normal junior high day. Tyce brought flowers and a chocolate bar for his valentine, a friend named Jessica. I picked him up that day for an appointment and nearly every kid I saw was carrying balloons or stufffed animals. I guess having a one-day valentine is a big thing at his school.

As for Bryce and me, we went out on Monday to lunch and a movie--spicy chicken salads at Pei Wei and then Les Miserables again. That was our celebration and it's a good thing we did it early because Bryce got the stomach virus the kids had suffered from and wasn't feeling his best for days after. We sure enjoyed being together though and there's no one I'd rather have be my valentine than Bryce.

Sock Monkeys

Cameron has his beloved sock monkey, Bob, and a small sock monkey named Steve. Harrison had no interest in these creatures until Cam got his, and our friend Michele was nice enough to give Harrison a small one (a match for Steve!) on a visit to her house. He named him Steve as well (or Joey or Jimmy. It depends on the day). These boys are definitely in to their sock monkeys and play with them every day.

Tonight they decided to make costumes for their animals.

Cameron with Bob, outfitted with a mask, cape, and "arm and leg shields".

Harrison with Steve. He has a mask and a yellow cape.

The boys flew their monkeys off the ledge. That's where the capes came in.

Rough landings--good thing they had their shields.

They are very good to their sock monkeys.

It is very sweet to see how much they enjoy playing. Harrison is game for whatever's fun but Cameron really and truly loves his Bob. He sleeps with him every night, talks about him, asks me to take him to the store when Cam's at school (which I accidentally did once, when Cam shoved Bob in my purse), and calls him his best friend. I don't think I've ever seen him so attached to a lovey before.

Try, Try Again (aka A Most Embarrassing Moment and a Lesson Learned)

My very first week in Young Women as a frightened 12-year-old I volunteered to lead the music. This was something I knew I could do and in a small way I wanted to show off for the older girls. I stood by the piano and raised my arm. The hymn was "Come, Come Ye Saints"  and if you don't know, it switches from 4/4 time to 3/4 time several times within the verse. The song began just fine but didn't stay that way long. The time changes, coupled with my nervousness, resulted in very choppy, incorrect, and desperate conducting. I was disappointed I hadn't done better when I knew I could do it perfectly! But it appeared that no one really noticed because their heads were buried in their hymnbooks. My leaders gave me a "good job" smile as I sat back down. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I went on to lead music many more times without incident.

Then when I was about 14 I went to a Sunday-night devotional called a fireside. This was a stake event for all the youth in our area. I was asked to lead the music, to which I gladly agreed. When it was time for the opening hymn I stood up and opened my book. We were to sing "Carry On", a hymn I did not know well. As the piano played the introduction I looked out on the congregation, smiling. I waited for my cue to begin. I waited . . . and waited. The piano just kept playing. And then I was hit with a terrible panic: You missed your cue. You were supposed to start singing. Or maybe you're supposed to start singing now?

I was confused and too terrified to make eye contact with the pianist. I listened to the piano and thought that I'd bring the group in . . . now. That seemed right. With a swoop of my hand the people obediently followed me and began to sing, "Firm as the mountains around us, Stalwart and brave we stand --"

AND THEN.

I heard the music end, the notes pricking my mind with uncomfortable clarity: I had a problem.

It was the longest piano introduction in the history of hymns, practically the entire song, and now it was time to start. For real.

The congregation train-wrecked the end of the stanza and then started over, at my direction, "Firm as the mountains around us--"

I was so mortified. Because I was a teenager, everything I felt was raw and personal and intense and it would have been a blessing for me to have shriveled up and died.

After the opening prayer, imagine my dismay when the stake president praised me for my perseverance.

"We can all learn something from young Sister Cook," he said. "She made a mistake and everyone followed her. She obviously had no idea what she was doing but she just pressed forward. I mean, she really, really screwed up! But she finally got it right in the end. It was pretty brutal but what a lesson we can all learn from her. Great job!"

(These were not his actual words but that's how they fell on my ears.)

Oh my goodness, I really did want to melt into the floor.

But I didn't, and I survived.

I thought of this story as I sat by the organ last week, ready to sub for our regular ward chorister. Here I was, a 38-year-old woman, in the same position I was when I was 14, ready to stand and lead a congregation in the singing of hymns. I began to feel grateful that I hadn't given up when things had gotten hard, or I was humiliated, or hadn't succeeded. I was grateful that people had let me try and fail, and let me try again. In fact, they lifted me and praised me in my most embarrassing hour. And that got me thinking about life in general.

I've been blessed with supportive family and friends who believe in me. When I fall they encourage me to get back up and try again. And we all have a Savior who watches us try and fail, but does He ever stop cheering us on? No--He never stops!

He knows that we won't be perfect, that we'll make mistakes, that we'll feel disappointed, discouraged, embarrassed, or afraid. But as many times as we pick ourselves up He is there to help brush off the dust. When we struggle with things we can pray and He will give us strength--sometimes that comes in the words of a scripture, a friend who does a kind deed, or a feeling of peace and conviction that helps set us on the right path. I have felt that strength many times, especially on the weightier matters of mortality I have yet to master. But He gives me chance after chance and each time I try, I get a little better.

He said: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10)

He is with us always, through trials and triumphs and everything else in between.

And that is music to my ears.