January 2, 2017

We had Hungarian Goulash for dinner last night. It was delicious.

Highlights from this week:

Scout's Birthday, Dan is making her pancakes. And her first haircut. I may have cried a little bit, her curls are gone and she looks so grown up now.

Moses has been sick all week. OR at least I thought he was sick until I noticed he was teething. Guess that means it can't lasts much longer. Poor little guy.

I took Scout and Maeser to join Mary and Abe for school lunch. Delicious. Way better than home lunch. Think cheese plates, sushi and chocolate milk.

Scout is really into animals. She plays with these wooden animals for hours. Every. Single. Day.

I love them. She walks around talking in a high pitched voice having conversations about everything. But mostly it is fun hearing how she thinks the home operates. Everything is offered persuasively. A reward is given for every obedient action. And the little animals always want to play.

Scout playing the ipad with Ru.

Oh, the one photo is Maeser getting his hair cut. I catch my knuckles more frequently than his hair.

-isms.

January 15, 2016

Things I want to remember, but probably won't unless I write them down.

Speech Impediments:

Scout, "I have a stash-stash!" (mustache)

Scout, "Can I have a tookie?" (cookie)

"Mango!" (It's adorable that she still calls him Mango.)

Don't we all: 

"On my birthday I want a pink cake and pink flowers. And pink soup." (Scout)

"I don't want to color. I want a ball." (Maeser)

Touché:

Mom to Abe, "What does cheerful mean?"

Abe, "To be happy... or look happy." 

Abe ate 5 bowls of vegetable soup. (In an effort to have the children eat their soup, I promised a peanut butter cookie for each entire bowl they ate. Yeesh.)

Maeser, "Can I play the iPad? Zombie game, it's got prophets in it, good prophets."

Misconceptions:

Mary, "Mom, I almost saw pornography today."

Mom, "Really?"

Mary, "Yeah, a girl fell down the slide and her pants got stuck on the slide."

Mom, "(Face palm.) Huh, well.... that isn't really the same thing."

Mary, "Mom, do you remember that phone you gave me...?" (Yes. I do. And I'm not ready for you to grow up so soon...)

Me, "Uh, yeah. We still need to get a sim card for it." 

Free Puppy, well trained. *expert chewing skills and an escape artist. (Is it a surprise?)

Thunderstorms are scary. Scout hasn't quite gotten used to them.

A quiet moment.

First haircut. A day shy of 3.

January 8th, That means Dan is 37!

We went to the beach (in Indonesian but only a 45 minute ferry ride from Singapore) and I can't believe we've never been in the last 2 years. We introduced the children to boogie boarding, released baby turtles into the ocean and the babies are still pooping sand. 

My update is brief. School has been out for Christmas break and the children returned to school this morning. We went to the beach (in Indonesian but only a 45 minute ferry ride from Singapore) and I can't believe we've never been in the last 2 years. We introduced the children to boogie boarding, released baby turtles into the ocean and the babies are still pooping sand. 

It was a fantastic end to Christmas vacation. That and preparing a Sunday School lesson. It is an introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants. I was trying to find some way to make it relatable. Some teachers have a million stories to draw from. I don't know how they have a personal experience to share for every gospel principle or church history event but they do. Dan's dad taught the same lesson last week and he had great insight that I wish I'd received prior to my lesson. Next time.

Our area authority was the speaker last week in church and due to some unfortunate planning he had the entire 30 minutes to fill. I was trying to get comfortable in my seat thinking it would be a long meeting and was surprised when it ended. He had story after story which he applied to the doctrine he was covering. I, on the other hand, have maxed out my grandmother's soup story for multiple principles. And not all of the class can relate to sleep training, anxious mothering or sleepless nights with children in which I find my most frequent moments of growth and confirmation. Maybe I've been too focused on myself for the last 13 years... I'm sure as the children get older our experiences will change and eventually I'll be able to captivate my sleepy Sunday school class. I need to pay closer attention to how the gospel can be applied to all experiences. And then I need to record them!

I really am thankful for the opportunity to study and for the desire to understand. I hope your investigators have the same feelings. Desire is a powerful tool. I understand the scripture Alma 32:27 and know that a continued desire to grow is a blessing.

Maeser made the Hungarian flag out of Legos all by himself. Proud kid. (Dallin is serving in Hungary.)

Lower Expectations

It is new years day. Odd how quickly time passes. It  gets faster every year, must mean I'm getting old. I'm watching Scout, she's trying to steal legos from Abraham. She is adorable, but I'm afraid that won't be a help to her. She's learning to get away with everything. She is by far her father's favorite child. 

We had a great New Year and I'm so thankful for the year ahead. I've decided to lower my expectations for the year. Sometimes I get caught up in planning details, I'm going to focus on the moment and chose to simplify. Hopefully this will leave more time to enjoy little people, strengthen my relationship with God and be present. New Years resolutions. 

Merry Merry Christmas!

We have had a wonderful Christmas. The usual sugar comas and bipolar toddlers. The children have been doing a sugar challenge, it starts again tomorrow. I am actually hoping for a lifestyle change eventually. It is just so much better. No argument when considering healthier lifestyle changes.

I finished reading the Book of Mormon this week. It has been a more intense study than I have ever embarked on. When finishing I expected a stronger affirmation of the truthfulness of the gospel and of the book itself. But I didn't feel an extra portion of the spirit. I was almost disappointed. Today, during church I had an inspired thought- you will feel and know when you are willing to testify of the Book of Mormon. Because I already know of its truthfulness and that it testifies of Christ, that is easy to do. But I need to be more willing to share that testimony and I believe that this long focus will be a strength as I do so.
I am determined to follow that promoting and be more bold in declaring my beliefs.
I had a friend in Bangkok who expressed interest in family home evenings. I told her how we used them in our home and she began using the same format in her own home. When she first asked, I told her it was something my parents did and I grew up with family nights every week. It wasn't until months later I told her it was actually a program within the church, and I told her there were resources online or manuals you could use. She looked at me, I thought angrily, but then she said- "You mean hey have a manual for this?!" Instead of me teaching her how to role-play with her children or texting her FHE lessons, I should have given her the resources to find answers for any questions she may have had.
It was Mary's turn to pray in family prayer this morning and she said, "Please help Dallin and Hannah not be homesick away from family today."

Our affectionate two year old.

A hearty morning hello.

Mary.

It's December!

We are back from Switzerland, where we stayed in a 200 year old farmhouse on the mountain and the barn was full of goats and sheep. It was awesome, in a Heidi kind of way. The children loved it. I loved that they got to experience something new. We went walking or hiking in the mountains every day. What a beautiful world we live in.

Abe was baptised.

When everyone wakes up for breakfast at 3am it's gonna be a cheese plate and bread from the bakery down the hill.

The cat was a favorite.

Family selfie.

The holidays are fast approaching. The tree went up this afternoon and Scout exclaims "It's

Mas-mas!" every time she enters the room.

I'd write more, but I could sum up our week by saying: jet lag and colds don't mix. 

Merry Christmas!

Holidays seem to put a rush on things: seasonal activities, traditions (new and old, and some I wonder why we ever keep), Christmas cards to write and gifts to wrap. Being abroad means it is a transitional time. Most families move in the summer, but each child has a friend moving this Christmas. Add in final playdates and teaching the children how to say goodbye have filled the remaining time. 

I am so thankful school is out for three weeks. I love having the children about. I have spent some time looking at homes near the school in case we leave the bungalow. I've viewed so. so. many. None I am thrilled about. But the commute isn't great for Dan or the children anymore, and with Maeser going to school next year it seems like a bad idea to put him on a bus for so long... unless I could somehow get him to nap everyday on the way home from school. It seems the time with the children is so precious and I've had such strong promptings lately to be mindful of my time with them. 

I am thankful for the Spirit. I'll admit, I'm the first to chase the Spirit away with anger or impatience, but the moments when it is present are precious. This week I have felt the Spirit confirm my work in the home, as a mother. This week I have felt relief as I have asked for help or inspiration. This week I have received direct promptings concerning my calling or one of the children. I know, that by the Spirit, and only the Spirit, I can be taught the more important truths of the Gospel and not be laden down by the mundane or absorbent nature of life. It's like adding a pinch of salt to the pot, just a sprinkling of the Spirit brings flavour and joy to any task.

This week also had some highs and lows. I spent some time in tears on Friday. I am so thankful for Jeremiah's decision to call. (Let's put the elephant in the middle of the room, shall we.) I know families are essential to this experience on Earth. I know that our family unit: Mom, Dad, Ann, Christy, Jeremiah, Spencer- have a divine calling to strengthen and lift each other. Moroni talks about this in Chapter 6 vs 4. It is often referenced to fellowshipping, but is very applicable to families. "...and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ..." Focus on that one purpose- "To keep them in the right way." We can't complete this task unto salvation on our own. All of us will be dependant on each other at some time. I only wish I could have been a strength sooner.

I am excited that so many in the family will be together this week. I sent some favorite Christmas books to mom and really. good. chocolate. They had better enjoy them together (literally) and think of me. 

Merry Christmas.

Photos:

We eat our hotdogs angrily.

Jingle bells. Fairly certain Mary's teacher was cursing me every time Mary walked by. The bells were so annoying!

Making cookies with the missionaries. Had I known they were such bad sous chefs I would never have invited them to help. We've had egg shells in almost. every. cookie.

Trying to encourage Abe to be a little more prompt...