Brigham Gave a Talk!

Sweet Brigham...what do you even say about him?  He is the dearest little boy.

He had the opportunity to give a talk in Primary a month or two ago.  He helped write it and shared stories of people in the scriptures who used their agency, whether in a good way or a bad way.

This is him in the morning...all studious and grown up!

You'll notice he's studying his Lego Club, Jr. magazine.  ha!

Here he is waiting to give his talk.  Be still, my heart.  I love that child.

And here he is giving his talk!  I love technology....sigh.....

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

More Hawaii

This is why we take pictures!  I forgot to mention the Battleship Missouri tour we took on the Sunday we were in Hawaii.  Oh man, that was incredible!!!  One of the major highlights.  We could have easily spent another hour exploring.

 Some other random pics from Haiku Gardens, restaurants, the PCC, and the Dole Plantation

And pictures from our excursion out to Goat Island -- the island (connected by a reef under the water) near our house.

Hair Bows and Bowties

Another Pinterest project that was so easy I can't believe I didn't do it sooner.
The grey is one pattern -- 2 hair bows and 2 bowties.
The red is another - with a Downton Abbey hat tip with the pointed side. I am in love. Again, I made two hair bows and two bowties.





I have to say, it's dang fun to be doing some artistic things again. I forget how much it feeds my spirit.
It'll be fun to see the kids in their matching ties and bows tomorrow at church.

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It's Getting a Little Crafty in Here...

I've been in a slightly crafty mood lately. It's been a long drought, so it's been fun to dust off the seeing machine and make a few things.

First, I made pj pants and appliquéd t-shirts for the kids for Valentines Day. I was originally going to do them for Christmas, but reality quickly set in and I feel pretty lucky that I had them done for V-Day. I did dinosaur fabric for the boys (still haven't snapped a pic of those) and heart ones for the girls. They were super simple and so fun to work on-- the project gave me time to think about how much I love my children and appreciate the gift of being their mother.
Here's Chloe in hers.




Second was the "bapron." I've had this one pinned on pinterest for a while. I've been trying to figure out what to do for my friend Angie's fundraiser for the Pack family.
We were hanging out tonight and I decided to just pull out the machine and make one of these. It was crazy simple and I love how it turned out!








It's called a bapron because it is a hybrid bib and apron. It's quite long (low belly length) and the bias tape forms sleeves, so the bib goes over the shoulders a bit. It's a really clever design and the way she pulls it together is really cool.

Source for bapron pattern: www.craftinessisnotoptional.com/2011/05/bapron-tutorial.html

Source for pj pants tutorial:
Www.mycottoncreations.blogspot.com/2010/07/christmas-eve-pajama-pants-tutorial.html

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The Most Magical Place on Earth

For.  Real.  Not even kidding.  Disneyland is EVERYTHING everyone says it is.  We had the most magical and wonderful time with the kids on this trip!

I have so many pictures that I decided to just collage them by kid, plus a few more.  I don't think I'll do a total play by play (that's what happens when you wait a month to blog a trip!!!), but I'll try to hit some highlights.

Let me get my crafty neurosis out of the way from the start here -- I was nervous about losing my children.  We were going to be pushing Cannon in the stroller, but the other three would be walking the entire time.  Also, I wanted the kids to have something special for the trip without having to buy expensive merchandise at the park.  My solution:  I bought 4 shirts in 3 colors and ironed on a Disney-themed character for each.  In addition, I ironed on a little patch that said, "If I'm lost, please call my mom and dad" complete with our cell phone numbers.  They wore green the first day, blue the second day, and the red ones above the third day.  I am so grateful they think it's alright to match still and also that I have a couple of tom-boyish girls who don't mind wearing t-shirts one bit.
We received a lot of stares and compliments from people because who doesn't think four matching (and really cute) kids are adorable?!  I loved being able to just look for one color of t-shirt and count the kids that way.  They were AMAZING at keeping up and staying with us, though.  I was impressed with how well-behaved they all were on this trip.  It was fun to make the shirts and I'm glad I did it.  The kids still enjoy wearing their shirts to school.

Okay, so, shall we start with Cannon?  He was SOOO much fun to take on this trip.  Oh my, how I love him.  He is such a love and a ray of sunshine.

Cannon's Disneyland Highlights:  Dumbo ride, meeting characters, riding King Triton's carousel, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster ride, Monsters, Inc., Roger Rabbit, Toy Story Mania ride, Ferris Wheel, Pirates of the Caribbean, Little Mermaid ride.

Cannon's Disneyland Lowlights:  The Teacups, throwing up three times the first day after riding the Teacups, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, having to wait for the big kids on some of the rides he wasn't tall enough for.

Brigham's Disneyland Highlights:  Dumbo ride, the Teacups, Pirates of the Caribbean (which he was very scared for, but ended up loving), Monsters, Inc., Tarzan's Treehouse, Toy Story Mania, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blaster, Star Tours, Peter Pan, meeting characters, King Triton's carousel, Jedi Training Academy.
Brigham's Disneyland Lowlights:  Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Space Mountain (a bit scary for him, but he liked it okay), and Tower of Terror.

Lily's Disneyland Highlights: Dumbo ride (this was the first ride we went on and so it will always be special to the kids.  They loved it!), the Teacups with Stanton spinning our cup at an insane speed, the Little Mermaid ride, Toy Story Mania, Monsters, Inc., Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blaster, Splash Mountain (although she was nervous at first), Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Jedi Training Academy, Goofy's Flying School, California Screamin' (which she, Chloe, and Stanton rode at least 6 times), Soarin' Over California, and meeting the characters.
Lily's Disneyland Lowlights:  Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Space Mountain (although I think she was just being contrary), and Tower of Terror.  All three of the big kids HATED Tower of Terror and had nightmares about it (well, more "going to sleep mares") for days.  They still don't like to even mention it.

Chloe's Disneyland Highlights:  Dumbo, Peter Pan, the Teacups, Indiana Jones, Little Mermaid, Toy Story Mania, MuppetVision 3D, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blaster, Space Mountain (she went on this one 3 times), Star Tours, Goofy's Flying School, Roger Rabbit, Monsters, Inc., Soarin' Over California, meeting characters, Jedi Training Academy, Splash Mountain, and California Screamin' (again, she, Lily, and Stanton rode this one over and over and over..)
Chloe's Disneyland Lowlights: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Tower of Terror.

We used the planning service at www.touringplans.com and would totally do it again.  It saved us so much time and confusion and we were able to see everything we wanted to see.  It was also awesome that we went during such a slow week.  We hardly waited in line for anything.  SOO nice with small kids.

Here we are on the infamous Teacups.  Cannon and I did not enjoy the crazy spinning one little bit and were both sick all day afterward, but it was so fun to see the older three getting such a kick out of Stanton's crazy spinning.  Every time someone would mention the ride after Cannon's throw up incidents, he would say, "We never have to go on da Teacups again, right?"  Yeah, we'll have to let the others do that one next time while we find something else!  :)

 We overlapped our second and third days in the park with Ann & Don & family and Dave & Judy.  It was great to have some cousin time!
I love that picture of Dave with his hat backward.  He cracks me up at almost 70 -- you'd never ever guess he was getting that old!
Do you see Stanton using the Bissell on Lily's rear end?  I can't even remember what happened -- I think she spilled her cereal on herself or something?  Anyway, that cracked me up and definitely warranted a picture.
Oh, for food, we ate in the motorhome for breakfast every morning, then took a backpack full of water and non-perishable snacks (+ apple slices) for the day.  The kids never complained of being hungry and we didn't ever stop for lunch -- just snacks along the way.  For dinners, I had pre-prepared meals for each night that we just dished up and microwaved for everyone.  It worked out so well, although there were a few exceptions:  the first night, we met everyone for dinner at Goofy's Kitchen.  It's a buffet with lots of kid-friendly and adult-friendly foods.  Lots and lots of characters walk around the restaurant, as well, so the kids got to meet and have pictures with many of their favorites.  On the second night, we were all so tired that we ate a piece of bread and were all asleep by 6:45 pm.  Ha!  But the meals were wonderful for the other nights and travel.

The boys had to sit out a few rides because of their height, but we made good use of the time.  They were able to meet some of their favorites!

I had to take a picutre of Dave's Crocs because they are the first semi-decent looking pair I've ever seen.  Leave it to him to make me eat my words on the (non)virtues of the Croc shoe!

 I truly think Cannon could be a commercial for Disneyland.  He was SO adorable with those ears on!  I should tell how those came to be.  On our way into the park on the first day, we met some people who thought the kids were cute.  We mentioned that it was their first time (and my first since I was a year and a half old, so really my first time, too).  They told us to be sure to go to the Town Hall and get a button saying it was their first time.  Well, we did that first thing and since the kids were so cute and I was so excited and everyone was matching, the gal at the desk gave us our buttons and a voucher for 4 pairs of ears at the store!  The kids were THRILLED.  So was I -- those things are expensive!!  They happily wore them the entire trip.  Well, Cannon's second throw-up incident (the first one was at the Pirate's Lair island and got all over me and the ground -- thankfully I was able to go into the bathroom and scrub my shirt in the sink -- the third was right before dinner at Goofy's Kitchen -- we made it to a garbage can for that one, thank goodness!) happened to be while we were waiting in line for Star Tours.  It's cramped and indoors and hot.  Luckily, he warned up before he threw up and we were able to catch it by pulling his ears down and catching the throw up in the hat part.  Gross, I know, but it sure was handy!  Some of it got on his shirt, too.  Well, the cast member who gave Stanton a voucher to go in the Fast Pass line after the rest of us were done with the ride (since Cannon obviously wasn't going to be riding on Star Tours after that incident) also gave Stanton a voucher for a new hat and new shirt.  By the end of our first day, the good people at Disney had given us over $80 worth of merchandise.  Their awesome service and desire to make our trip fun made us love them even more! 

It was SO fun to take these four to Disneyland.  They were so cute with each other, they were excited about everything, and they loved meeting all the characters.  I had so many "I hope I never forget this exact moment in time" moments on this trip with these children.  They are such blessings and it was so fun to take a trip like this with them.

We bought each of them a Mickey or Minnie sugar cookie as a last treat leaving the park.  They ended up making a huge mess with them (yeah, I probably should have thought that one through and had them eat them BEFORE we got into the motor home, not AFTER.  Oh well.  They looked so cute holding them up on their matching shirts.

 I have to give major thanks to Stanton who drove all but 5 minutes of this entire trip.  I slept a TON because I was battling more carsickness than I usually do.  He drove and drove and drove and never complained.  He was awesome.  We got a kick out of all the screens and electronic devices we had going while driving.  Stanton has wired the motor home so that he has everything he needs to navigate and entertain the masses.  It's great.

I have no doubt we will be frequent visitors of the Happiest Place on Earth.  Taking the motor home was a blast, the magic of the park had me in tears with a lump in my throat more than once, and it was an absolutely perfect family trip.  We love you, Mickey Mouse!!

Hawaii!

In January, we took a wonderful post-Christmas trip to Hawaii with two of our dearest friend-couples, Brian & Linda Westfall and Kyle & Angie Farley.  It was so fun.  We overlapped by a couple of days with Dave & Judy and Jim & Rachel, which was awesome.  I LOVE vacationing with family, so it was awesome to be with them for a couple of days.

Since this was the first trip for both the Westfalls and the Farleys, we did a lot of the tourist things that we don't hit every time we go.  It was really fun!  I have to admit, though, that Stanton and I did not take very many pictures...at all. 

Some of the highlights of the trip were Pearl Harbor, the PCC, Byodo-In Temple, Haiku Gardens, Hanauma Bay, eating out a TON, shave ice, surf competitions, visiting the Laie temple visitor's center, hanging on the beach, reading the Maze Runner series, lots of ice cream, more shave ice (I love you, Matsumoto's!), the Dole Plantation, and lots of relaxation.  We are so lucky to have awesome friends.

Here are pictures from the trip!

Some thougths

My sister, Cindy, asked me to share some thoughts about how we looked upward during our experience with Brigham's heart defect and repairs.  I put them down tonight and wanted to preserve them here in our family history, as well.

Hi Cind! 

Okay, here are my thoughts about how we "looked up" during our experience with Brigham's heart surgery.

When were first informed by the cardiologist that Brigham had a serious congenital heart defect that would need extensive repair, our hearts were broken.  I cried a lot and I was resentful of comments that everything was going to be okay.  I knew that things would be, but I just didn't want others to tell me that.  I wanted them to mourn with me and feel the sadness of the situation with me.  We were blessed with some loving family members and friends who lived that part of their baptismal covenant with us and I can't express what a gift it was.

As the years went by between his first minor repair and the time before his major surgery, we had time to reflect on what Heavenly Father's plan for Brigham was.  At times it was overwhelming to consider the many different outcomes of his surgery.  We hated the thought of damage to his mind from the anesthesia.  We could hardly think about the very real possibility that he might not make it through the repair surgery itself.  The "unknown" was the hardest part of it all.  As we prayed for him, there was one thing that continued to come to my mind and became an unexpected comfort during those times.  In fact, it continues to be a principle that guides me in so many unknowns I face in daily life.  The scripture was in Moses 1:39 -- "For behold, this is my work and my glory:  to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." 
That scripture became real to me as we prepared for Brigham's double-switch surgery.  It became knowledge to my mind and heart that God existed for one sole purpose -- to bring His children back home.  It is His entire work and glory.  He doesn't dabble in side projects or other endeavors.  He was mindful of our Brigham and He knew exactly which of the "unknowns" would be the best outcome for him, for our family, and for all of His children who would be affected by Brigham.  I remember having an "a-ha" moment where I learned what "it's going to be okay" meant to me.  I learned that "okay" meant God's will would be done and there would be a purpose in it.  If that meant that my precious boy didn't make it through his surgery, I could trust that Heavenly Father knew that was what needed to happen to give more of His children an opportunity to draw near to Him and be able to return home.  If our Brigham lived and thrived through the surgery, I could trust that the reason for that was because this was how more of Heavenly Father's children would be able to draw near to Him and return home.  I gained a testimony that God had a plan for Brigham and that it affected more than Brigham.  To understand that our precious child could be an instrument in God's work and glory was astounding to me.  And the knowledge that followed -  that I am a part of that work and glory as well -- was nothing short of life-changing.  I feel as though I am a different person because of the experience we had with our Brigham's heart defect and surgeries. 
I'm so thankful that Brigham's part in the plan at that point was to live and to be healthy.  His heart problems seem like a little asterisk in the story of his life at this point.  I often pray, though, that when the time is right, I will have the words to teach him what a gift his heart has been -- not just to us as his parents, but to so many others.  He affected the testimonies of our family, of our friends, of our ward members.  He changed us collectively and the Lord continues to preserve him for a great purpose.  When I think about that, I'm in awe.  We wouldn't be here if God didn't have a purpose for us in His plan!  We can trust that He knows who we are, what part we play, and that with His grace, we can be an instrument to bring to pass His work and His glory. 

Love you, Cindy.  So much.  Thanks for giving me an opportunity to put this down in writing.  I love you.

Juge

The Abundant Life, Grace, Looking Up, and Finding a Balance in it All

I feel like life has been in a really good place the past couple of weeks.  Previous blog post notwithstanding, our home has been a happy place.  I've tackled some projects that I've managed to avoid the entire six years we've lived in this home, the laundry is staying caught up, the kids are helping and maturing, and things are in a good place.
The Magical Mornings concept I wrote about earlier has been a tremendous catalyst in this area.  Sincere interest in and love for the scriptures has also been a player.  Prayer -- real, habitual, communicative prayer has been another key.
I haven't made a deliberate effort to use the computer less, but it has certainly been a side-effect.  I miss my blog.  I want to continue writing about our home and our life.  I always neglect updates when I have huge ones to post.  There are two such events blocking my regular updates right now.  I really do need to write about Hawaii and Disneyland.  They were great trips and really special.  In avoiding those posts, I've also avoided the daily things that have really been worth remembering.  Little moments where Chloe has shown maturity.  Lily's art gifts from two different boys in her class.  Brigham's new found cooperation with his eye patch.  Cannon's hair now being combed to the side and how grown up he looks without his mop of curly hair on top.  Just little daily things that make me smile. 

I think with any new lifestyle you adopt, there is a period of learning and figuring it out.  I'm in that period right now.  I want to do the blog and I even want to comment on my friends' blogs, but it seems there's little time for it.  I'm usually catching up on my reading of others' blogs in little stolen moments on my phone -- a second here, a minute there.  It's a pain to comment on my phone and really, I just don't spend enough time on the computer to justify doing it anyway.

There are three talks I've read recently that have somehow done something to my soul.  I find myself pondering on them without even trying to.  They've been an impetus for change and reflection.

If you feel so inclined, I'd recommend taking an hour or so (I've even listened to them while doing other things) and giving them some thought.  For me, they were perspective changing and I have appreciated the Savior''s gentle nudge to change because of them.  The thoughts presented in them have enriched my personal scripture study, as well.  As I've been reading the Book of Mormon over the last few months, I've loved what I've learned.  Little phrases that will pop out -- things that cause me to open my journal and pour out my soul.  My eyes have been opened even more after reading these three talks and it seems that the Book of Mormon prophets were teaching the same principles -- and of course they were!  I've just really appreciated them and want to put them out there for you to ponder if you feel so inclined.  They're worth your time, regardless of your religious beliefs.

The Abundant Life -- by Thomas S. Monson

His Grace is Sufficient -- by Brad R. Wilcox

Look Up -- by Carl B. Cook

I Have a Month's Worth of Magical Memories to Record...

This is NOT one of them.




And I did NOT use it as a gentle teaching moment. No, I had a complete freak out and screamed so hard that everyone cried and one child (not the one who did it) said they didn't want to be in our family anymore.

Fail.

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