Snapshots

With few creative ideas left for writing I walked around the house to take a snapshot of everyone doing their thing. Life is normal, busy, good.

It is pouring rain. Daily. We've been caught in the rain almost every day when getting the children from school, we come home soaked and the kids stay out on the trampoline while I try to get changed as fast as I can. I feel like the WWofW melting. 

Mary having an afternoon snack with her best friend, Isabelle, they just tried out for the 5th grade variety show... they'll find out tomorrow if they made it.

The hazards of a 2 year old with a fetish for cars.

Littles are playing with Valentine upstairs, I am so thankful for cousins.

Abe is at swim practice and Dan is at the office.

I am taking a break from writing Christmas cards to write you... actually I've been procrastinating the letter with the excuse that if I didn't get the cards in the mail they wouldn't reach you before Christmas. I'm afraid they will be late.

Highlights from last week:

   

Scout cut her hair... moments before leaving for church and we didn't notice until we'd sat down in the pew. We took her to a salon to have a stylist salvage her hair and he kept flipping her hair around while he cut- disgusted that she'd chopped it! I think he was more disappointed that her hair cut wouldn't look like a masterpiece no matter what he did to try to fix it. She, on the other hand, loves it.

Dan came back from the US Saturday night and was up for a game of monopoly before church. Yay for dad.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I hosted a Christmas brunch for my bible study group, and 13 women came and each shared their favorite scripture about Christ. I was so thankful to stand with women who love the Lord and celebrate his birth and light just as I do. I love this class, I am torn if I will continue attending it in the new year, I feel a little over committed... but maybe it does more good to attend this class than it does to attend the RS study group and fellowship the ward members... I really can't keep both. From a missionary perspective- you'd probably advise the non member group study, right?

I am so thankful for the season, and the Light the World Campaign, and the family we will see so soon!

Last photo of Scout before she cut her hair.

Oh, and it was Mary's birthday! She made her own cake with Isabelle. 

December

I'm listening to Manheim Steamroller Christmas as I type. 

It's almost the end of rainy season, and just in time, because our walls have become waterlogged and the upstairs floors will take weeks to dry out.

Dan is being diligent in his training, thankful for his dedication to a healthy lifestyle. Less than two months before his next race.

We transitioned from our tropical Fall to torrid Christmas season this week. We successfully had pie night, Thanksgiving, pulled out the Christmas decorations, and received our first Christmas card!​

Scout and Moses helped make most of the pies, they played with dough for hours on Tuesday. Who knew Moses had an attention span lasting longer than a gold fish! Mary ran home from school to help with the last apple tart, she is becoming quite useful in the kitchen. And her Apple Tart was delicious.

Moses has a fetish for cars. And lots of them. His arms are always full of them and he'll stand above a dropped car because he can't manage to hold another single car! This is the morning he finally mastered the basket... a feat we've attempted for weeks.

Belated Thanksgiving  was on Thursday night with Dan's brother and a family fresh off the boat from the US.

Most mornings were spent outside, walking, running or playing at the park. All three activities warrant a post dip in the pool. It is so HOT!

Advents also began this week... a lego calendar, Maeser's paper chain, and (my favorite) Light the World. The children have all offered suggestions, I hope we find a way to do all of them, I think this is a beautiful way to simplify the season and be deliberate in teaching about the Savior.

Penultimate Saturday was spent at a swim meet, where I lost Abraham for an hour (my worst nightmare), and decorating the tree. 

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Most of the nativities were out by Sunday and we had our first Home Teachers (in 8 years!) come by. As we sat down to visit, Abe asked aloud, "What are we doing? Why do they want to come to our house?" Simply a tender mercy. So thankful for their willingness to serve and share in our responsibility to teach the children.

I got a note from Ann on Friday night that she'd got a new phone! Welcome to the world of Apple, Ann! FaceTime is a lifesaver.

I want to be deliberate. To be determined to choose my actions and responses.

Bali

Books we're reading:

Dan- Brothers Karamazov

Amy- These is my Words, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (actually just finished this, but worth mentioning)

Mary- Wonder

Abe- Wonder, The Genius Aged 8 1/4, Magnets

Maeser- Bugs, Killer Insects

Scout- picture books

Moses- Animals and noises.

New Vocabulary:

Scout- actually, sure, except

Moses- car

Mary- 我会说中文

Abe- Maglev Train, 

Maeser- 

We postponed our traditional Thanksgiving Dinner so we could join Dan on a trip to Bali. Most amazing trip and never had to leave the hotel. We still celebrated Thanksgiving while eating spicy soup instead and turkey, chocolate cake instead of pie, and watching camels walk the beach instead of the Turkey bowl. (insert eye roll emoji.) Turkey is this week!

Moses turned TWO today! We spent the morning on the beach, packed out and stopped at the airport bookstore for two hot-wheel cars, then sang Happy Birthday at the gate. He ran his cars and forehead across the felted airport carpet for the next 40 minutes while we waited for our delayed flight. Gag. He loved it.

If I stop to listen, they make me smile.

"I don't feel very cunchtable." (comfortable) -Maeser

Scout is the best cheerleader: "You're a good job doing that, Abe! Try not to fall down. 1-2-3 Go!" 

And some photos:

Summer sledding.

Nap-time pedicures.

Cleaning the garage with Moses.

Morning swims with these two.

And a thought:

I read about Zeniff this week. His efforts weren't always aligned with God's will (but he had good intentions) and he wasn't successful. Repeatedly. If I haven't stopped to ask for the Lord's direction, it is easy to react to life rather than growing through the experiences. I also get over-zealous and am driven to pursue my own goals, and think I'm good enough to achieve them. Maybe they aren't the right goals. Maybe I need more help than my own, but I find my efforts are magnified when I ask the Lord for direction, inspiration and then help as I then strive to do the work.

Read 2 Ne 32:8-9, I've had a prayer in my heart for days. "Consecrate my performance", magnify my effort- I'm learning to recognise that I need the Lord's help in all things... that scripture runs through my mind before talking to the children, before bearing my testimony, before correcting a child, before teaching a class or helping at school... Whatever best I can give, I know it can be magnified by the Spirit to a great effect or outcome. And to that end, I am thankful for prayer. I am thankful for the opportunity to express my desires to God. To receive inspiration. Another thought: Prayer is work. Enos 1:12 "And it came to pass that after I had prayed and laboured with all diligence, the Lord said unto me..." What kind of labor is this? What do I need to give, in order to receive personal revelation or direction?

Important Decisions

I’ve been stumped the last few weeks. Life isn’t drudgery, but it’s same ol’ same ol’. Sometimes I flip through the pictures on my phone to remind myself of the things we did- because I honestly can’t remember. Then I remember that it was Abe’s birthday- he’s nine! And we had the primary program- it went superb and it’s so great to have it over with. And then I remember we had date night- first in weeks because we just never want to step out by the time we put the kids too bed.  And beyond deciding what to make for dinner or the most exciting decision I made today was if I was going to keep my biannual hair appointment or take a nap. So here I sit, in a tiny salon at he top of a grocery store and I’m so excited to have someone else wash my hair. I know- very important decisions.
I did have an amazing experience yesterday. I caught a glimpse of the love these women around me have for their children. I sat on the stand for the primary program- a first. I have always sat in the audience. From the stand I could see so many parents- trying to catch a child’s eye or mouthing the lyrics to the primary songs. I was overwhelmed with a sense that God could somehow love them even more.
Mosiah 4:9
9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
My thoughts have been consumed with this.
And this:
Mosiah 4:12
12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

I have felt more this week that my responsibility to my children is not first to discipline them, nor to correct or criticize them, nor is it to get them to school or church on time! Though all good intentions- the most important thing I can do for these small children is to love them. And with that love- desire to have a portion of God’s love for them. And sooner than later as some are not so small anymore. 😕

I was chastened by the spirit after loosing patience with my son when I asked him to do something for the 17th(!) time. And immediately I felt the prompting to love him. Not only should I model good behavior- how to act responsively, to be honest, good manners at the table- but more importantly to model kindness and friendship.

It has been a great week. I am grateful for the desire to understand Gods love for his children. I am thankful for those he trust to my home.
I am thankful for the faith I have to act and hope.

Keep doing good. Do better today than yesterday. As President Monson said, “May we ever choose the harder right than the easier wrong.”

Abe's birthday breakfast.

Date night sunglass shopping. Purple didn't make the cut.

Stake Primary activity. Dan and I built the wagon in 30 minutes!

Oh, Moses!

Getting my hair done in a tiny Chinese salon above our grocery story. Thrilled.

Time to Write!

I missed two weeks! We’re still kicking- swamped with swim meets and Halloween and the primary programs. I usually write on Sundays but they’ve become to busy it seems harder to write.

So glad Dallin is better. Derrick read from Hannah’s letter in his talk last week. And Dan enjoyed a fast trip to see Mom and Dad in Quezon City.

We handed out 9000 pieces of candy after combining forces with Derrick and Julie. Halloween is a nightmare up here.

Abe and Mary had multiple swim meets.

Dan ran the Zombie Run with Maeser, “He [Maeser] is so fast!”

Scout, praying: "And pwease bwess my familwy... except Maeser... and except Abe... and except Daddy and Mommy and Moses... and Mary. Amen."

Scout, playing a memory game: "Dad! I'm so good at this game!"