About faith.

I don’t think faith is a foreign subject around here.  I would like to think that I post about it often, because it is an area where I have strength.

(But now with saying/typing that out loud, there will be some huge test to that statement..)

Or maybe I post about it because I am strengthening it.

Either way, I had an experience that took place when I was a teenager, I was reminded of it this last summer.  I thought then, “I should record that experience.”

Have I?

No.

So I am now.

I was 15.  It was the August before I started my sophomore year in high school.  My parents would go camping just about every Thursday evening as soon as dad was off work.  Being employed by the government, he had the 4-10 work week, and it worked out fantastically.  He was also bishop of our ward at the time, and there was little time to actually get away. 

They almost always took my younger brother Kevin.  Sometimes I went along.  We have always enjoyed camping and hiking.

We would go to a campground on the other side of the mountains from us.  It was a pretty nice place, unless partiers showed up.  It was also an area where there was lots to go and see and do on foot.

(Okay, so there still is..)

We decided on this particular trip, that we would hike to Ben Lomond Peak.  It was just intended to be a day trip, hiking to the peak from the North Fork trailhead about 8 miles in each direction. 

Wish I had my own photos of Ben Lomond..  here’s a nice one though:

(Photo Credit)

Ben Lomond is the highest peak in the middle there.  Willard, the one to your left, is actually higher by 52 feet.  Snow is usually still on the north-facing side for the most part of the year.  It was when we were this particular summer.  We even had a snowball fight on the way down, even skied in our hiking boots.

(That was dangerous though.)

In preparation for our hike, we ate a good, hearty breakfast, packed up our day packs with lunch and snacks and lots of water.

We knew we couldn’t possibly pack enough water, so we had to count on a water source being along the way to refill our bottles and canteens.  My dad and brother brought along water-purifying pumps and iodine tablets (my favorite!) to clean whatever water we would find to use.  My dad also studied his topographical map to find whatever water sources were available.  We estimated that we would have enough to get to the skyline arm of the trail, and we would need to refill for the last bit up to the peak and again, for the hike down. 

He found Cutler’s Spring on that map right there along the skyline trail.  We said a family prayer  and we left confident that we would be okay.

The climb up was amazing!  The views were terrific and only continued to be increasingly more awesome as we continued to ascend.  We saw so much wildlife, and just enjoyed being together.  We’d stop for snacks of grapes and drink our water and continue on.  We got to that skyline trail, needing the water.  There was only a few swallows left among all of our canteens, and we needed more for the rest of the way up the peak, and the trip back to camp.  We set out to find Cutler’s Spring.

We searched for quite a while.  When dad started to get worried, we did too. 

We stopped what we were doing, gathered together as a family in that beautiful, most humbling place, nearly on top of the world, and my dad offered a prayer.

It was a simple prayer.  It was a prayer of thanksgiving..  for our safety, for our being able to spend this time together, for the beauty of all that surrounded us, for all of God’s creations.  Then he asked that we would be able to find water.  Simply stating that “we need it”.  We knew it was there, somewhere, and we needed help to find it.

*Just a little side note on my dad, when he speaks, we listen.  When he prays, we especially listen.  There was no doubting in me, ever, that Heavenly Father wasn’t listening to our prayer, and there was no doubt in my mind that we would find the water.*

As he ended the prayer, I remember opening my eyes, my head still bowed, seeing all of our feet there in a circle, and the first thought that came to my mind was: tracks.

We had already seen a variety of wildlife, so we knew there were creatures there.  Animals leave tracks, animals also need water. 

Kev and I started looking for tracks.

Soon we found some broken grass off the mail trail and started to follow it.  Soon it turned to dirt and there were deer tracks.  We followed them.  They were still, just in the dirt at first, then the dirt slowly turned wetter and wetter.  We were hot!  Then there was mud, and before we knew it, there was water, springing from that mountain.

The water we needed.

We filled our canteens, offered our prayer of gratitude, and continued on to that peak. 

Once at the top, it was beautiful.  You could turn in any direction and see views of the entire valley.  Ogden, Logan, Huntsville, even into Salt Lake.  It was gorgeous!

We ate our lunch, signed the book that hides in a metal pulpit of sorts at the peak, found small rocks for our souvenirs, and headed back down the mountain to camp.

For a long time, that is what I remembered the most, that incredible view!  It was quite an accomplishment to hike it all, to see it all.  It was a great experience.

We also ran into a moose butt.  Like literally RAN.  Kev and I were running down the trail, rounded a switch-back and there was this gigantic moose peeing in the middle of the trail!

I will never forget that!

But then a different memory was brought to mind as we sat around the campfire that one night this last summer.  We sat there as a family, in the shadow of that peak, my dad sharing stories, and just listening to him speak in this setting, I began to recall that great story of faith.

Water is such a basic, essential thing.  Something that sustains our very life.  We needed it.  But we needed to have faith to find it.

How many other things in life do we need to exercise our faith in order to find and to obtain?

From now on, along with all the other memories of that trip, I will remember what I learned that really matters.

Faith.

Testimony.

This year for family home evening, we are delving into the Book of Mormon more.  We are taking the Gospel Art picture kit (the old one) and taking one picture at a time, discussing the story, and reading the most pertinent verses out of our scriptures TOGETHER.  Lynn struggles to look them up on her own, and this is a way to help her become a little better at it.  She is so excited to read them out loud, and the little girls are really enjoying it as well.

Every week, we do a re-cap of sorts, to refresh our minds as to where we are in the storyline of the book.  Tonight, Peyton went on and on about how Nephi was really a princess. ;)  Great story telling skills that girl has.

The story we were on was about the arrival of the Liahona, how it worked, and how they needed to be in order for it to work properly.

I shared a couple of stories about faith with them, personal experiences, (one that I realize I should record here..) and likened that to how the Liahona worked.  They needed to show faith, believing that it would give them direction.  Lynn was so sweet, as I was finishing she asked if she could share a story with us.

She re-told the story of her day at kindergarten, when she found no one in her classroom, and ran back outside to find me, only to find I had left.  She did cross paths with a sister in our ward (someone Lynn didn’t know), who calmed her down, reassured her, and helped her get safely back to school.

At the end of Lynn’s story, she told us, “I know that Heavenly Father blessed me.  He sent Sue to me so I could get back to school safely and so I wouldn’t be sacred.”

How proud was I!!  She gets it!!!

After the prayer, and after I sent off the little girls to get their pajamas on, I held Lynn back.  I asked her if she knew what she had just done.

“No…”

“You don’t know what that was that you just told all of us?”

She just shook her head.

“That was your testimony.  You shared something that you believe.  You shared a story of when you had to use your faith, and you told us how you were blessed.  That is your testimony of faith.” 

I am so thankful for family home evening, for this time of learning and sharing, to see how my children really do understand and grow from the teachings of the gospel.

Faith.

This morning, Ashley had a major freak-out.
I mean, epic.
It has been building for a while now, the anxiety started over Thanksgiving break.  Whenever she would think about the up and coming “writing journals” in her kindergarten class, she would get a little sick.  She is a perfectionist (like someone else I know..) and worries until she is sick, about spelling anything correctly.
I tell her that I still don’t know how to spell everything correctly.  “There is this magical thing on the computer, that whenever I spell something wrong, it underlines it in a squiggly red line.  Then, I know I have spelled it wrong.  But the cooler thing, the thing that makes this even more magical, is that I can right click (sad that my 6  year old knows just what this action is) and it gives me options for words that I could have possibly meant to spell.  Except for amoxicillin, it has no idea what that word is most of the time.”
Back to the epic freak-out…
So, she was suddenly sick.  (Insert fake coughs here.)  She couldn’t possible go to school.  But me and my mad mommy skills knew she was faking it.  We talked about why she didn’t want to go, what she was afraid of, and I thought I had cleared it all up.  We even ran through how to sound out and then spell a word phonetically.
“Your teacher loves you.  You can ask her for help and she will help you.  This is what kindergarten is all about, nobody in your class is perfect, you are all learning.  We can say a prayer before you leave, just me and you, and ask Heavenly Father to help you.”
But when I walked into her room at 8:05 (five minutes before she should leave to walk), she was sitting on the ladder of her bunk bed STILL IN HER NIGHTGOWN.
I resisted the urge to scream at her, and instead, took her by the hand to help her get ready.  We talked (well, I did most of the talking) while she got ready.
I asked her what the problem was, I said that I thought we’d solved it.
“Aren’t we going to say a prayer, just you and me?”
“But mom, I know the prayer won’t work.”
“It won’t with that attitude.  You just need to have faith.”
“But I don’t know how to have faith…  how do you have faith mom?”
In that moment, a million memories flooded my head.  Experiences I have had in my life, dealing with faith.  I was trying to come up with the most age-appropriate one, one that would be on her level.
“When I was 3, I got a doll for Christmas.  I named her Susie.  I thought that was the most beautiful name.  Susie had eyes that would open and shut when I laid her down.  She even had eyelashes.  I loved her.  I also loved her eyelashes.  I would touch them and explore how they worked.  I even started to pull on them to see where they came from.  I kept pulling, and they came out.  I was so sad, my beautiful doll wasn’t so pretty anymore.  I was sorry that I wasn’t more careful. 
“I knelt down that night, by my bed, with Susie, and said a prayer.  I asked Heavenly Father to help her eyelashes grow back.  I told him how I was sad and wished I hadn’t pulled on them.  Do you think that Heavenly Father could have fixed my doll?”
She just shook her head, her eyes wide.  I knew I had her attention.
“I thought that somehow he could, but I didn’t know how.  I fully expected to wake up the next morning with Susie, perfect again.
“I didn’t know, and I don’t remember how all of this happened, but I remember getting out of bed, Susie wasn’t with me in my bed.  I saw that there was a light on in the kitchen, and I went to see what was happening.  I saw grandpa, my dad, standing at the stove, with the hood light on, Susie laying there on the stove.  Grandpa had one of his paint brushes, he was curling the hairs on the brush with my mom’s tiny curling iron.  He was fixing Susie.
“He cut some of the curled hairs off the brush, and carefully glued them back into Susie’s eye lid.  He fixed her.  My prayer was answered.  Did Heavenly Father fix Susie?
Ashley just shook her head, but I corrected her.
“Grandpa heard my prayer and knew that he had to answer it.  My faith depended on it.  Years later, as we would talk, grandpa told me that he didn’t know how he was going to fix my doll, but Heavenly Father helped him to know what to do.  He was given ideas of what he could use to fix her, and it worked.  Heavenly Father answered my prayer.  I had faith that he would.”
After that, being a little too late to walk to school, I took Ashley into my closet, shut the door, and we knelt down together and we said a prayer.
She was so calm after that.
I dropped the girls off at school, not a problem there.
When I went to pick her up, she was beaming.
“Guess what mom!?”
“What?  How was you day?”
“It was great!!!  The writing journal wasn’t a big deal.  It was so easy!!  We did letter “F” and I spelled “fox” and I did it right.  You were right, there was nothing to worry about.”
“Did Heavenly Father answer our prayer?”
“Yup.”

A re-run.

There are lessons that seem to repeat themselves in our lives as often as old M*A*S*H re-runs.

Faith and Prayer seem to be the top two being repeated lately.

We have a key to our house, hidden, just in case.

No, it is not in a fake rock.

(So don’t bother looking in our hundreds of rocks for “the one”.  It doesn’t exist.)

It is in a place where we can get it when we need it. 

Sadly enough, Peyton could too.

Last week, while fixing sprinkler heads, she found it (again) and was playing with it.  She went with the girls up and down the sidewalk on her trike and the scooter (both of which have nifty places for holding small things) and was in and out of the garage and back yard by the time I realized she had it.  I asked her to put it away, and she ran into the garage.  Being the best listener of the house on most days, I assumed she was doing just as I had asked her to, and was putting it away.

She didn’t.

As the sun set, and we began cleaning up to come in for the night, I looked in that secret (or not so secret) spot, and there was no key.  The search began.

Everyone was involved in finding this small, silver key that was whisked away by a very adventurous two-year old.

It kept getting darker, and the key wasn’t found.

Knowing that Merrill (who hasn’t had adequate sleep for who knows how long..) wouldn’t be able to sleep with the key on the loose for just anyone to come across, I took the girls in to get ready for bed and to have a prayer.  I asked our Heavenly Father to help us find that key tonight.  That if we didn’t find it, then someone who would not desire to cause our family harm would.

After I ended my prayer, Lynn told me that she had said a prayer too.

We ran over all the places we had looked and it came back to the back yard.  Merrill went out again, and came right back in with key in hand.

Relief was evident in the atmosphere of our home.

He told me, as the girls were sleeping, and we were getting ready for bed, that he had been taught yet another lesson by our sweet Lynn.

“She told me that she said a prayer that we would find it tonight.  I thought, ‘Yeah right.’  It just kept getting darker and who knows where Pey put it..  I thought for sure she had dropped it in the grass somewhere..  and then we find it.  Her faith amazes me.”

It does me too.

It also assures me that we are doing something right.

It also reminds me that I put far too many of what seems like “little” daily decisions into my own hands when they really belong in the hands of someone who knows much better than I.  Sometimes I think that I shouldn’t bother Him with my “problems” when there are so many others with much more to worry about, who need help in this world.  But the fact of the matter is that He is there, waiting, wanting to help us with everything and anything.  He loves us.  He is just waiting for us to ask.

Her faith and trust are another lesson that I need, to let go, not worry and let Him take care of it, just like He promised He would.  Because He does.

Merry Christmas...

"Fear not: for, behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
"And... ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." -Luke 2:10-12
This selection of scripture was directed towards the shepherds who were watching their flocks at night. Humble people, humble circumstances. What did they know of this world? What did they know of Heavenly Father's plan? They went to see, and they didn't just walk... the scriptures tell us they hurried. What great faith it must have taken to see a messenger of the Lord, then to listen, go and see.
I hope that amid the fun and excitement of this day; the shredded and torn wrapping paper that will be all over my living room floor, my family will have something more... an understanding of the Peace, Happiness, and Joy, the great message of Love, that this single event in the history of time means for us. He lived as "a babe in swaddling clothes" and He lives today.
I pray that we can all be humble and have the faith to listen, and to go and see what great works the Almighty has in store for each one of us.
Merry Christmas...

I can finally talk about it!!!

Our sweet Pey...It has been a month now that we have been dealing with a little stress concerning our littlest one... I haven't said anything on my blog, well not anything that is public :)... mostly because I know that so many of you are going through so much more... my trial and worry is like a feather in comparison to the boulders others are bearing these days. But it has been my worry... I also didn't want to say anything until there was a resolution in the matter...
It all started a month ago at Peyton's 9 month well-child check. The doctor was checking her hip joints and he heard a click in her right hip. Worried that it could be hip dysplasia, he sent us to the hospital for ultrasounds. (A blessing there was that we could go to McKay, not Primary's, because there was a new, pediatric radiologist who had just started there in July.. we didn't need to make the journey to Primary's.)
Many prayers were said, her name put in the temple multiple times, and a priesthood blessing the night before she was to go in for the ultrasounds.
Well, her bones had already ossified so that meant the ultrasounds wouldn't render the results sought after... X-rays were in order (which I would suggest giving out as inexpensive gifts this holiday season... they were only $13.66! I might just go and get one myself! ;P...). I watched as the X-rays came up on the screen in the radiology office, and after a week of looking at many pelvic X-rays online, everything looked fine... symmetrical, no gaps, her femoral heads were in the hip sockets... but, of course they wouldn't tell me anything. I had to wait for them to give the results to the ordering physician, my doctor.
A day later, he called.
"It's just as I thought... mild hip dysplasia in her left hip..."
"Left hip?.. you were concerned about her right hip."
"That's right! It was my left hand that her right leg was in... that's weird. So there's a click in her right hip with nothing to show for it.... Her left hip does show signs of mild hip dysplasia. Her left femur is turned 2 degrees outside of normal range (more test results read...)... you'll have to go to Primary Children's to see a pediatric orthopedic surgeon to see if there is anything that should/needs to be done."
The results to a Google search were scary. To see what treatment options are out there... casts, braces, harnesses, surgery... my sweet little girl who is on the move and enjoys every stinkin' minute of it! To think of her stuck in a cast, brace, or bed... it tore me up. But as my mother said, "Don't iron your clothes until there are wrinkles in them..." I have been trying not to think of what "could be". But how big a deal could 2 degrees be?
So we've been waiting, trying to live faithfully, keep busy so our minds don't go to that... I have felt pretty good about it though.
Here we are...
Last night I was praying big time... there was supposed to be a snowstorm moving into the valley this afternoon. I prayed, even though I really wanted the snow, that it would hold off until after our appointment. I prayed that no matter the outcome, everything would work together. I prayed that she would be happy and calm. In her priesthood blessing this morning given by her most awesome and incredible dad, the guy I am so blessed and downright lucky to be married to, he blessed her with that same thing... and that the doctors and nurses would be able to do those things that would enable them to see that nothing was wrong. She had a healthy and able body.
No snow falling from the skies this morning as we left. We got there, no big deal. I honestly felt so guilty walking through the halls of that hospital, seeing so many sick children, and here I am with my perfectly healthy child... and I am worried about hip dysplasia?! Her appointment started with a new pelvic X-ray... and then we saw the surgeon.
He saw NOTHING WRONG with her hips. NOTHING...
"Even if there were still that 2 degree difference, I would recommend that she walk. That's how you best get things where they need to be. And since she's already walking..." and Pey was yukking it up with him the whole time. The flirt. Cheesing it at him whenever he'd look at her. Laughing when ever he'd move her legs. Yep.. she was happy and calm.
As for that "click" in her right hip, he said it was a ligament that was tight over her hip right there and when you move her leg, it just snaps. He called it "silly"...
Blessings!!!
We left. Thankful.
We live so close to such an awesome children's hospital. They have an incredible staff of people who truly love and care about children.
To have those people...
So many prayers were heard and answered in our favor!
No snow!
She was happy and calm.
I was able to find the place...
We have the priesthood.... in our home!
We can go to the temple to find peace.
Prayer...
She is fine...
The first flakes of the expected snowstorm began to fall as I was on my final stretch of the drive home, coming up "the hill".
Blessings.
I have many angels in my life... you have shown up or called at just the right time. I love you all!!
But I am most grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who never ceases to bless and amaze me with his never-ending love... His most awesome blessings!

What's up?

I need to catch myself up on the drama...
I was released. I have no calling. I am kind of bothered by that. I prayed so intently last night, it was so cool! I felt this one on one interaction with Heavenly Father. Quite a comfort. I know it will all be okay, and it will be for my benefit, however it works out.
I've been doing well, not thinking about it constantly, and being negative about our ward leadership... then I have to drive by Brother Marsh's house when I take Lynn to school... then it all starts again... I had to say a prayer, then I took another way home.
Peyton has her appointment down at Primary's on the 15th. I am hopeful that it will be nothing, and even if it is, it will be okay, no matter what.
I let myself get too behind on tithing. Life just went too fast, and I either forgot to write the check, didn't have any slips, or just ran short on time on Sunday's to get it done before we left. I know, excuses, excuses. After Sacrament meeting on Sunday, I knew I just needed to do it. So as I was taking care of bills today, I calculated how far behind I let it get... $1098 and change... that's tithing and fast offerings!!! Gulp. I seriously had to think about if I was going to write that check or not. I did. We need the blessings.
It's all about faith!

This is one to NOT post...

Well, maybe later...
Today Peyton had her 9 month check up. Everything was fine and normal, until Dr. Sutherland went to check her hip joints. He heard a click.
He kept asking me, "Do you hear that?" Which I did. He kept checking it, repeatedly. Then he proceeded to tell me about hip dysplasia.
Basically, her hip could be out of it's socket. It may be coming and going as it pleases. It might just be a fluke. He believes that it is nothing, but to be safe... we have to go to the hospital for an ultrasound on both of her hips. At first, we were going to have to take her to Primary Children's, I was not so happy about that. But he checked and McKay has a pediatric radiologist now, he started there July of this year (what a blessing!). They need to see if it is hip dysplasia, and if her bones have ossified, or hardened. If they have, she'll need surgery to re-set it. Then there will be possibly traction, then a cast, then a brace. If they haven't, it will be a cast, possibly for six weeks, or until her bones do ossify.
Merrill is worried, as he has every right to be. I am trying to teach him faith, by example, again. We'll put her name in the temple Saturday, mom will tomorrow, and Merrill will give her a blessing before I take her in next week. Not to mention all the prayers...
I have a feeling that it is nothing.
But we have to do this tom ensure it is nothing.
Mom said, "Don't iron your clothes until there are wrinkles in them."
I am worried about my happy, very mobile little girl, and her happiness if she is stuck in a cast for up to six weeks.
Yet, I know, that others have it far, far worse. There have also been others who have gone through this before.. it could be worse...
I worry...
Don't iron the clothes...

I'm a "fizzle" fo' shizzle my nizzle....

Thanks for the help on my post title, Brookers...
Explanation of the word "fizzle"...
The other night at Mer's parent's, his dad busts out this album of his latest favorite pics. We are looking through them, there are pics of Mer-Bear when he was a young little chap, pics of some of their fishing trips, and pics of the other kids when they were little... then, there is our wedding day...Dixon: "Oh... son, do you remember that day?"
Mer: "Yeah..."
Dixon: "You do huh?"
Mer: "Yup... that's when Min was smokin' hot."
Me: "Was?"
Mer: "Yeah... now you are just hot... maybe just a "fizzle" now."
You can imagine the rest of that exchange. Dixon thought it was entertainingly funny. That is our relationship, tease, tease, tease. (Refer to the "Homer in a mu-mu comment.) Ah, I know he does love me... no hard feelings.
So, among other things...
You can't get anything done for you around this house unless you are Clint, or if it benefits Clint.
Example:Clint came over yesterday. We were trying to be hospitable and offered him something to drink. We went downstairs, the drink stayed up stairs. Once realized, Merrill asked Lynn to go and get Clint's drink. She immediately runs off. She gets back and Mer asks her if she'll go and get his too. Silence. No running off. Blank stares. I go and get it.
We had a good time at the Elder's BBQ. I want more fun times like that. Except the part where no bathrooms at the bowery is involved. That wasn't fun...We enjoyed the South Ogden days fireworks display from the InstaCare's little yard. I was so excited to be there without needing to pay out the nose for one of my kiddos! And who should show up to watch there too? The Dr. who tells me to get rid of the trampoline... nut-job.
The girls were having fun, running around and playing, picking these little flowers in the grass while we waited for dark to arrive. Lynn kept doing "the potty dance", with no bathroom around. So I offered her Christie's solution, go in the car in a diaper. She wasn't going for it. She and Ash wanted to be near Clint, shadowing his every move. So we just let them enjoy. After the fireworks display had concluded, Lynn was near tears. I asked her what was the matter, thinking that maybe she had an accident. She told me that I was going to be mad. So I convinced her to tell me, I wouldn't be mad. She said that she put something in her ear. So she learned her lesson second-hand from Ash to NOT put things in her NOSE, but apparently, and EAR is perfectly acceptable... Mer was livid. We were trying to clarify exactly what she had put in her ear. She told us a little white thing, a flower?
"No it's soft and squishy..." she said.
Clint solved the mystery by telling us that she had been playing with some styrofoam.
Ah-hah!
She sobbed the whole way home, me trying to reassure her that everything would be okay, but I was not going to the ER tonight, and Merrill letting her have it. I told him to calm down, she felt bad enough as it was, and he said, "Well I learned, after being humiliated, to not do things again."
"Well stop humiliating her! Getting her upset is not helping... and look what you turned out to be after being humiliated..." see, I get em in when I can...Needless to say, we stayed-up well after midnight, trying to get styrofoam out of an ear.
We prayed first, trying to teach her about faith, and set to work doing everything that I could think of. Nasal aspirator + water. Nope. Turning up-side down + shaking. Nope. Bobby pin. Nope. So, we tried to educate ourselves online. First of all, here's the "don'ts": don't use water to flush objects out of the ear. Don't use a bobby pin. Don't put anything else in the ear, trying to get the object out. Don't shake a child. Don't hit the head. Yeah, so my "common sense ideas"... not the safest. Some other ideas we tried: baby oil. Nope. Soaking her head in the tub, to try to get it our and to wash off the baby oil ;). Nope. So I told Lynn that sometimes, Heavenly Father's answer is to just relax, we don't have to work ourselves to death to solve a problem. Sometimes we just need time to think of a better solution. We read a book together and went to bed, her hoping that it would just fall out onto her pillow. Besides, online it also said that if bleeding, pain, or hearing loss weren't present, don't worry about it.
This morning, nothing. I had her draw me a pic of how big the piece of styrofoam was. She drew me her ear canal, and a little circle, where she thought it was stuck. Online forums taught her something else... when else would a five-year-old learn about an ear canal?
Did church, did Clint's homecoming, he was awesome.... talked about Faith of all things... Went out to mom's for her birthday. We told her the latest saga of a small object lodged in a facial orifice. She got it out with an ear cleaner. That good ol' grammy... really, she's 55 now... senior citizen discount and all to prove the ol' part...
Bummer comes in when we aren't gong camping as early this week as we thought... the camp we have, for the first couple of days, is a wee bit too close to the rushing river, a hazard for our sweet small children, all of the small objects that can fit in facial orifices is more of a hazard for my sweet ones though... anywhoo... won't be going until later...

cutie pie...

This kid is getting cuter by the day! I am tempted to post a "Peyton Pic of the Day". Don't tell me I am wrong about her cuteness...
I have been in a "I miss my Grandma" funk the last couple of days. I have been getting my hands on things that were hers, that she made for me, pictures of her, etc. I can't explain it. The littlest things that I do in my life, I have her to thank. I enjoy reading, she taught that to her kids, my mom taught it to me because of her. She was the one who got us into scrapbooking. When I scrap now, I think of her. Same with pretty much everything else I enjoy doing, other skills I was taught. Being a mother...
Mom called today, Grandma Mayes is doing poorly. She's in the hospital with heart problems. She has already had a pace maker put in. It must be really bad for my aunts to call. Grandma has been in the hospital so many other times, and the only way dad has found out, is because Grandma tells him after the fact. The girls have never met her, and they want to. There isn't a day that they don't bring it up. Whenever they see a plane, they ask when we'll get to go see Grandma Pat. Now I am not sure that they ever will. Strange, I love her because she is my Grandma, but it feels more like she is this friend of my dad's. It has been ten years since I have seen her last. And I went eight years before seeing her then. I still see her in my mind as being young, I know she is older than I think.
She has knee and hip issues, diabetes, and this heart problem. Her doctor has told her she needs to lose weight to help all of the other problems. She is afraid to go by herself, she is afraid she'll fall. So he told her to use her walker. Ummm, no. She found a neighbor buddy to go walking with, but it turned-out that when her walking buddy would come to get her, they would end up watching TV and eating ice cream together... my Grandma is a hoot!
It has been a bummer of a weekend.
As I have said before, it is spring. Merrill is soooo busy, while it is a good thing on one hand, it is a total pain in the butt on the other. He didn't get home from work until nearly eight last night. He left this morning at seven, and didn't come home 'till almost six. Being a single parent sucks sometimes.
And don't even get me started on our health insurance premium increase... I know that we are so blessed to have it, but paying for it... especially when it goes up. I am trying to resolve that, but we'll have to see what happens...
FAITH!!!

Before & After

I haven't had a float today...
Took Lynn to the dentist and she did great! It was pretty interesting watching her and seeing how much she has grown since the last time I took her, like 2, 3 years ago... she barely let him count her teeth then! It's funny, I usually would worry so much about how much this is going to cost, without insurance, but I just am not worrying... this faith thing is really catching on to my daily life!
We went to the mall... all 4 of us, me the solo parent. We had fun, maybe too much fun! I found Peyton a swim suit, on line... I should have bought it when I first saw it... It is worth it though, Peyton green, white polka dots, and a daisy... way cute!
We had a good day today.
I wanted to post a picture of my one month old little girl... Mer took the good camera (his) down to work and left it there (!) and the old one, here, has two sets of dead batteries... you'll just have to be patient and wait until tomorrow to see what she now looks like at one month old... it just may be different than the beginning of the week!
Here's all of the photo shoots we've had with Brookers lately... I think of it as "The Ultimate Before & After"...

Count Your Many Blessings...

I won't take the time to name them all one by one... I have to go and pump soon... Yes, the milk is in full flow.
I know that I am blessed. Today, I was just thinking about it a lot more. There have been things I have been so worried about, and everything is coming together. I have had to learn how to pray, and then let it go. Two such examples...
Peyton's birth. I prayed and prayed about it going well, no complications. I put it in the Lord's hands, and everything is fine. I know it is a blessing, my body was able to do things that I was told it would not be able to do. Faith and prayer... I was blessed. Mer and I were talking about it last night. How thankful I am to have the priesthood in my home!
The pic is my mom & dad. I have been so worried about his cataract surgery. He went in today, and I prayed... They stopped by after wards. He can see!!! Another great example to me of putting your faith in the right place, and you have nothing to worry about. I literally did just that, I prayed, and did not let myself worry about it anymore. He has never seen better. I didn't realize how bad it was until my dad studied my face for quite awhile today.
We have such a great family and great friends that surround us. We have gotten phone calls and visits everyday to see about our well-being. How much more blessed can we get?

Faith... and MORE SnOw!!!

I realized, after I finished this layout, that the one I did last night, was dated A YEAR BEHIND! See, that is what I get for putting it off, TWO YEARS...
Here is our deck... we have had some warm days that had our snow melting, mind you, but here it is... Merrill is praying that the snow will collapse the deck, and somehow the gate too... then we can have homeowners cover the cost of re-building. (Now, who was it who said that outdoor carpet on our deck was a bad idea???)
I've been thinking a lot about Faith. I've been thinking about it for a while, but ever since my conversation with Lynn, I've been thinking about it even more. I feel like I am being prepared for something. Everything that we read in the Book of Mormon talks about agency, the plan of salvation, opposition, Faith... yeah, I know that's the Scriptures for you... There are a lot of things going on in our life that could go in any direction. I don't know what it is, but I feel as if I am being prepared for some opposition. While I am scared, because I don't know what it could be, or if it's anything at all, I feel like what Lynn said needs to be applied. I need to be tough, even though I want to be scared. I love that my kids teach me so much.
I wanted to get up today during Fast & Testimony meeting, but I felt too emotional. It would have been blubbering, rather than a testimony. I can't explain it. Something is coming. The last time I felt this way, it was that Primary needed a change, a shake-up. And boy did it get it! But while it was hard, and stressful, and a learning experience, it was good for me. Maybe it's just that the unknown of having another little one is freaking me out! But I need to let go, and let what is supposed to happen, happen...
Oh, and Mom, I think it's safe to say, that with your guess, you are out of the contest... I'll still make you some cards, for Mother's Day...

Yesterday... today.

I finished the album...Last page...

And here's another from 2005, I really am almost done, 3 more layouts???So yesterday...
The day picked-up where the day before had left off. I had errands to get done.
- Sam's Club (get the RIGHT pics...)
- Groceries
- JoAnn's
- Peyton's Blessing Dress...
That evening, we were meeting at my parent's for Promise to have a blessing, and for Kev. It was his birthday, and Mom was making another chocolate layer cake... yum...
So, we got all ready, and as I was getting the pictures off of my computer this time, (yes, I remembered...) I was giving Lynn and Ash the run-down of the day. When I got to going to Grandma and Grandpa's, the both got really excited. Then Lynn asked why. As I explained to her that Promise had asked for a blessing, she said, "Why don't we just say a prayer for her?"
So we had a long conversation about Priesthood blessings and Faith. When I finished my spiel about Faith, she said the smartest thing to me...
"Sometimes Faith isn't about believing in what we don't see. Sometimes it's about being tough when we're really scared." Smart five-year-old I have, eh?
We went to leave, and there was my Mer (insert a picture of a heart here), with the backhoe, ready to clear out the driveway and mailbox, again.
We got the pics, lunch, and all everything we were looking for at Sam's.
We went to JoAnn's, and I found some things that I had been looking for for a long time, I was just looking in the wrong places. The only dumb thing that I did, was leave my coupons at home on the counter...
Groceries went off without a hitch too.
The last and final errand: "the dress". I stopped at a store close to Wal Mart, hoping it would be my last stop. The girls and I went in, after a talk about how they were to touch NOTHING... We went inside and were immediately helped. All the dresses were hung up high, so the sales girl stayed right there to get them down when I wanted to look at one. I looked at a few. I was going for simple. I decided to look at one, it was okay, then another. When she got it down and haded it to me, I started to cry, in front of a complete stranger! This must be "the dress", if it makes me cry in front of someone I don't even know. We got shoes there too. I was on my way home.
Mer got home a little late, but then we were off to Mom & Dad's, we were leaving the girls there after the blessing to go on an actual date! We were very excited.
The blessing was wonderful. The girls were great during it. After some visiting, beacause that is just what happens at the Mays household, we were off on our date.
We went to McGrath's. Chowder, steak and crab legs... even the sourdough bread was delicious, I usually don't care for it. We had a great evening. To make it even better, we got to take home some of the cake mom made for Kev (really ME)!
So here are my many blessings from yesterday:
- Having such an up-lifting conversation with Lynn about Faith.
- Getting all of my errands done, without any forgetfulness (except for those darn coupons...)
- Finding a white Sharpie marker.
- Finding "the dress" at my first stop.
- Mom and Dad had to pay $0.00 on their deductible to fix Dad's car.
- Dad passed his physical to get his eye fixed.
- To be there for Promise's blessing.
- Our Date.
- Crab Legs... and butter...
- Chocolate cake.
Today was President Hickley's funeral. We watched it all together. I hope the girls never forget. It was so neat to hear what people remembered about this sweet man. I am just going to miss his seat, with him in it...

Here's your WARNING...

Thought I'd let you all know... No, I am not in labor, yet ( but tomorrow we'll have an update!). And the car seat is waiting and ready! I can't believe she'll fit into that...

The warning is concerning the Faith of a five year-old.

Last night Lynn prayed:

"Bless that Peyton will come out of my Mother's tummy... next week. And bless that Clint will come home safely from his mission... next week. And bless that Jesus will come again... NEXT WEEK..."

So, there's your warning. Be prepared!

Oh, the Faith of a little child....

Funny story... last night Ash was saying her prayers. She asked Heavenly Father to have Jesus keep us safe so Michael Meyers won't come and get us! Halloween was on AMC in AUGUST... what a memory. Merrill did used to have the mask, I'm not sure where the memory came from but Merrill and I had to hold back the laughter.
Today, on public radio, they addressed a talk that Sister Beck gave in conference. I remember her talk, I remember feeling reaffirmed in what I am doing with my life. But apparently some women, inside the church and outside the church, felt very offended and even put on a guilt trip. I was a little leery of listening in. I didn't want to hear any contention. I felt like it would turn into stay-at-home moms against working moms, which her talk didn't even get into. She spoke about the role of mother, and that we need to get back to what mothering really is. Keeping a clean home, nurturing our children, playing and interacting with them, home-making... I have to say that I was in no way offended. I could imagine some women that I know who might feel a pang or two of guilt, but for the most part, I felt it was encouraging and uplifting. People are saying that she is outdated and out of touch with the times... I am no June Cleaver, but I know that the Spirit dwells in my home, and it is because I work my butt off to make sure that my home is a heaven.
I also felt very blessed because there was a BYU professor who kept stressing that in today's economic conditions, there needs to be two income households in order for families to have the "American Dream". She said that in Utah's economic climate, in order to get a median home, you need to bring in $70,000 a year! First of all, since we have had children, this household has been a single income household. Secondly, I can say, we have NEVER earned that much a year, but we have a home. We do what is right, we do what is asked of us, no matter how difficult it sometimes seems, and we are blessed. I think that it takes faith in order to do what we are told, and it is because we show our faithfulness that we are blessed.
I think about how our leaders go about deciding what they address in conference. They fast and pray, just as we are to fast and pray for answers to the questions and concerns that we have. The answers come to us in the forms of these conference talks sometimes. I just wonder how many women, mothers or not, prayed for this talk.