Happy Easter from our family!
Drewby’s drawing: “There is light in the tomb.”
Fish story
March 28, 2013 Leave a Comment
Can you guess what the Sunbeam lesson was about on Sunday?
What I learned:
3. Crocodiles – the bad ones – eat bugs and bees while baby alligators eat monkeys. (thank you Caleb & Madi)
2. There are a lot of stories in the Bible about fish. The creation, Jonah & the whale, fishermen disciples, feeding the multitude with loaves and fish…
1. Cutting fish free-hand is impressive. Cutting sharks is infinitely more appreciated by three-year-olds.
After we got home Meri had her turn loving on the fish:
She kept saying “Feesh!” and “Feeshies!” It was so sweet. Jim Bob put the jar in the window sill of the dining room while she ate her lunch. She had the hardest time concentrating – just kept moving so she could see those swimming, fascinating beauties.
{Big thank you to Mom Pipes for letting me not only borrow her guppies – but let me have her rainbow fish crackers as well! 
}
And a quick little update on Caleb’s growing project from last week:
He’s so excited. He wore it around his neck for half of Monday. :)
Growing
March 17, 2013 3 Comments
Sunbeam lesson: I Am Thankful for Trees, Plants & Flowers
{I subbed today! }
My top 3 moments from today:
3. When explaining pollination and asking what animal helps plants by pollinating one sweet little girl burst out with “Elephants!” That was a fun visual.
2. One little one commented that trees are for climbing – and falling down. And then all six little angels hopped up onto their chairs to peek out the tall window to see trees and plants outside (it was a little too blustery for the planned nature walk).
1. When we finished up our seedling packets the little sunbeams ran around the room singing/yelling “It’s growing! It’s growing!” {I’m sure those little seeds were thinking about it…}
Thankful for the wondrous world created for us! Especially sweet and funny three-and-four-year-olds.
Glad vs. Mad – a lesson to remember
March 10, 2013 Leave a Comment
A list… what do you think all these words are about?
The answer? Trials. The hard times. The slaps and the crazies and the wearing out the knees of your pants in prayer hard times.
The lesson today was on choosing to find joy and happiness throughout your trials and your life.
D&C 122:7-8 – “…that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?”
Shelly taught the principle so well and discussed Pollyanna’s take… find the good in the hard. These experiences are for us and our growth.
In Sacrament Meeting today one of the bishopric talked about how taking care of a new baby can be challenging. It is a trial. But it is so worth it and we know that. So we’re okay with the sleepless nights and the diapers and the demands. We know it is worth it. Then he asked a question I’ve been thinking about all day – What if we did the same thing with the other trials in our life? What if we figuratively snuggled them up and rocked them? – Knowing they would be for our good.
Same concept – worded differently.
And a mommy tip. If you have a sleepy little one at church that is just. not. wanting. to. crash. Use the camera on your phone like a mirror – so much fun to watch themselves in motion. And/or snap a quick photo. Your little one will also be entertained to see a current up-to-the-minute photo of themselves on the phone if they are anything like my little one. 
And there you have it – joy in even the little trials.
Treasured
November 19, 2012 2 Comments
Gorgeous October day (the 29th) when we visited the Boise Idaho temple open house – the temple of my youth. I remember saving pennies to help with the initial construction. Now it’s all renovated and simply beautiful. I’m so grateful we were able to take our family on the trek to see this wonder-filled building.
Thankful that we can be a forever family.
A little contemplative… Jacob said that he found the Angel Moroni on a gigantic pillar next to the temple quite interesting. He also said the temple makes him feel happy and warm inside.
Joshua loved the big stained glass window of the Sacred Grove by the baptismal font. He said with the sun shining through it looked very beautiful and made him feel peaceful.
Autumn loved the beauty of “the room where you be quiet” (celestial room). She also loved the sealing room where you can see the mirrors “go back and forth, on & on”. She has never seen mirrors placed like that before and loved it.
Andrew liked the baptism room too. He said you “go into a big circle of water and underneath there are ox. 12 of them!” He said said he felt warm and happy – “just like Jacob”.
Miss Katey loved the Bride’s Room where the ladies get ready on their wedding day. She also loved the crystal chandeliers. While touring she said “it’s sparkling everyday. Sparkles forever!”
Caleb loved the “baptism water with cows” (one way to describe it…). He says the temple made him feel good. “Yeah – feel good.”
Meri – well, she loved all the lights inside the temple. She also loved the big, beautiful windows and tried to reach every sparkly chandelier.
Jim Bob loved that they took an already beautiful temple and made it even more beautiful. “Perfection even. There is nothing lacking in construction or design.” He also loved the awe of our children – He said his very favorite part was watching their “big bug eyes and wide gaping mouths taking it all in and not believing the beauty of the temple.”
Me – The temple was absolutely gorgeous – dark wood and beauty all around. I also loved the beauty of the people there the day we toured the temple. Everyone was full of smiles and willing to help. From the men directing traffic to the people putting on protective footwear to the ladies passing out candies on temple napkins to the piano players in the adjacent church – everyone was so friendly and genuinely happy to be there. I especially enjoyed the faith building stories of our tour guides.
“The evening before the rededication (last night), President Monson told a group of 9,200 young people, gathered for the youth cultural celebration, that the temple “shines as a beacon of righteousness to all who will follow its light.”
“We treasure that light, and we thank our Heavenly Father for the blessings this temple and all temples bring into our lives,” he said.”
We rejoice in the blessings of the temple!
Flecks of Gold
September 22, 2012 Leave a Comment
This here reminder is printed on Red River’s River Linen paper (one of my favs) and displayed on our piano. It coordinates with my treasure theme for the year. I absolutely love this quote from Elder M. Russell Ballard:
“Great things are wrought through simple and small things. Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another.”
I love that the little things I do each day – for my family and others are like flecks of gold. It’s nice to imagine all that treasure building up, fleck by fleck.
The beginning story part of Elder Ballard’s talk was made into a Mormon Message:
His whole talk from General Conference can be found here.
Elder Ballard’s beautifully worded sermon is a treasure.
A fun little side note. The gold flecks on my poster?
Those are cupcake sprinkles – sweet, no?
Seeking Virtue
July 1, 2012 Leave a Comment
Birthday time for me is a time of reflection (well, and a little celebration) :). It’s perfect that my birthday falls half-way through the year. I like to take a few moments to see how my beginning of the year goals are going. While visiting the Church Art Museum last year this quilt spoke to my heart:
My current scripture study is about treasure. I decided this quilt is the perfect treasure map for me here and now.
The title is “Angel’s Portion: Seeking Virtue”. Angel’s Portion meaning big – this quilt is beautiful and pulls me right in. The story quilt shows seven ladies – “each shown in an active pursuit of virtue”. I love the “active pursuit” part. It takes effort to become more virtuous and to seek after virtuous things – ideas, talents, and gifts. True treasures.
A tender mercy is the fact that this quilt is in the Ensign for June – my birthday month and a perfect reminder to check in. {front view of the quilt | full article in the Ensign}
In the article it says “Each of these women possesses a trait that can be shared with others to bless humanity: sentinel, scholar, gardener, nurturer, caregiver, musician, and home builder. The artist explains that these women “honor those who pursue and use talents to bless humanity.’” Is there any better way to live?
Here is a list of the goals I’m working on in these areas:
- Sentinel – Work on leadership qualities: magnify calling, love those I serve, pray for those I teach and visit.
- Scholar – Learn more about Teaching Self Government – and apply in my home. Study photography.
- Gardener – Help with the Heritage Gardens. Grow a garden – especially herbs.
- Nurturer – Tell stories! Especially family history ones and stories from my childhood. Consistant interviews with my children. Pizza dough tossing and doodling/sketching skills.
- Caregiver – Monthly FHE service. Look for opportunities.
- Musician – Teach children piano, guitar, drums – what each is interested in and keep up and learn musical talents in those areas. Also accept opportunities as presented to play flute and sing.
- Home Builder – Hang family photos and temple pictures throughout our home. Paint living room and dining room. Proverbs 14:1 ” Every wise woman buildeth her house.” (A lot of the previous goals fit into building our home.)
Some are coming together better than others – all with room to improve.
I want my goals to focus on seeking virtue and using skills to love and bless my family. I’m thankful for a quote that jumped out to me while reading President Monson’s talk from General Conference. It wraps my thoughts into a nice package. A birthday package even. ”There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.”
Pageant Stuff
June 19, 2012 Leave a Comment
This morning the older ones got up early (6 am) with Jim Bob and set up approximately 14,000 chairs on the temple lawn (with lots of help from others ). A huge undertaking – and always well attended. The task was done in about 1 hour 15 minutes.
{last year’s audience one night; photo by Nick Marsing}
A week ago last Saturday the sets and lighting towers were put up. That process takes longer. Brendan wanted to help when they started – also 6 am. Jim Bob had plans that Saturday and got up to see if Brendan needed anything before leaving. He found this note:
Such a responsible young man. He rode a bike up to Temple Hill and got helping.
Sets going up:
Brendan is in the upper left of this photo.
The sets stay looking like rocks during most of the Book of Mormon scenes and then unfold to show Joseph Smith’s home, Carthage jail and a pioneer home. Here it is in progress – so you can see a bit of it all. Another fun part of the set is the volcano that rotates to reveal a temple – very neat. That one is moved on and off the hill each night.
Who takes care of all the sets and props during the show? Well, there is a crew for that too.
Here’s the group from last year:
{photo by Nick Marsing}
Fifth from the left is my Mom Pipes – she is amazing running all over the hill – moving sets and carrying props here and there. She’s at it again this year. Third from the right is Jim Bob’s (and therefore mine too!) brother John. Last year he was stage crew for half the nights and Angel on the Temple for the other half. We sure miss him this year, but he’s living a good life freshly married.
So many ways to help out with the Mormon Miracle Pageant.
Have a good day! :)
Grateful
June 15, 2012 2 Comments
Sunbeam lesson on Sunday was “I Have Feelings“. Funny thing about those little ones – they wanted to know which face they each were. They also helped me rename some of the feelings from the suggestions in the lesson. Angry? nope, that’s mad. Surprised is close to frightened. And I thought it was so cute that Katey thought my tired face was grateful. I guess my drawn girl looks a little too happy and thoughtful to be tired.
I also included the finger play from the lesson on the bottom of the paper. I thought they might enjoy that one – I was right. Hopefully they were able to do it at home a few times this week. One part in the manual that I loved – “it is good to show all of the different feelings we have, but we must show them in the right ways, especially when we are angry.”
When I asked what to do when feeling mad, sad or scared, Katey said you can talk to “Oh… mom or dad… or grandma or grandpa if they are sleeping over at your house.” I love her sweet little answers.
Sharing Time conversation-
Jacob (out of the blue): My dad is the greatest!
Katey: My dad is the greatest dad in the universe!
Jacob: My dad is Wonder World!!!
*end of conversation*
p.s. I’m not sure about Wonder World, but this is what Super Dad looks like:
June 12, 2012 1 Comment
This week will be filled with new posts about Pageant- I promise. I have a whole list. Brendan helping with the scenery set-up, a tour of the costume building, words from the opening fireside and a few food posts mixed in as well.
One unexpected story this year is a small feature in the Pageant supplement to the local newspaper. Meri’s part (baby held by Christ in the Christ in America scene) is being featured. Although Meri is not the only baby, our family was chosen for the feature partly because Katey and Caleb have played the part in the past. I did a phone interview and Jim Bob was asked to take the photos. The editor of the paper said, “Now Jim Bob is a pretty good photographer, right?” to which I could confidently say, “oh, yes!” They also asked for a family photo. Brendan took that one. We gave all the info and are hoping they each get their own by line next to the photos. :)
Want a sneek peak? (Jim Bob said I could have first run… blessed me.)
{It had been a long evening of practices and Meri had had it for the day – the wind had been blowing pretty strong throughout the last part of the practice. She had just snuggled in and slept. She woke up just in time for photos and was not. happy. You just do what you gotta do when you only have one evening to take photos though… and I kinda sorta love the lighting.}
