Aren't You Glad?

I came home from work yesterday (I still need to post about that) to find my daughter was not looking very daughter-like. I am so glad she's a she. We had to try several times to get a picture of her looking tough. (to her liking)

April Fooled Me

I wasn't thinking much about today being April Fools. 

But I still have a huge grasshopper buzz past my ear and land in my salad at lunch.

And then this evening, I heard a strange noise in my bathroom. It sounded electrical and very much in a specific place in the walls. I got Gary involved and we turned switched on and off. We switched circuit breakers, we went into the attic.. something was going on and we could not figure it out! Then Zoe came into the bathroom and said she felt like she missed a spot when she brushed her teeth and she reached for her toothbrush, her batter operated tooth brush.. that was on this little suction cup  gadget on the mirror.. and realized she forgot to turn it off. 

We laughed. We couldn't believe it. And she couldn't believe she fooled us without even trying.

The Call- Part 2 of 3

Yesterday was the big day, Rae left home and is now at the MTC.

So she has left, and I have shared about Rae getting her mission call but I'd like to go back to the very beginning. I think that part is my favorite.

Rae got into school (she'd like to be a physical therapist when she grows up) and had things all planned out (she is a planner) but things were just not working out. Long boring story, but just know that she didn't get to start in the Fall as planned. All the while she kept having to answer questions about where she was going in life and getting uninvited advice and one thing after another kept happening and she was getting quite discouraged. In the meantime, she mentioned numerous times how if she were a boy, she'd only have X amount of days and she'd be able to turn in her mission papers. Long (it seemed at the time) dragged out frustrations.

Then General Conference... the announcement for the boys... Rae looked at me with her eyes real big and said, "Do you think it will change for the girls?!?!" I said, "not necessarily..." I mean, I knew it COULD, but I knew that announcement didn't mean it WOULD.

But it did!

As soon as it was announced, Rae threw her notebook in the air and screamed and she looked at me and I looked at her and nothing needed to be said.

What an answer to prayer! What a reminder that there is a plan. And a plan for her. And even though surely it was an answered prayer for many, it was also very individual. And such a sweet reminder to be patient. And... and... and...

Next... the last days at home. And then I will move on. Promise.

The Call- part 1

My first missionary leaves Wednesday. This is a biggie. This is the biggest biggie in our family yet. I would like to tell the story today, tomorrow, and then the farewell Wednesday. Let's first start with the mission call.

First off, we surprised Rae by MY getting the mail and hiding it until my parents for here to watch her open it. That was funny. My parents showed up, she was about to leave for work and was confused about why they were there, my dad said, "I thought you got your mission call?" she said, "oh no! I haven't yet Grampa!" so worried that he made the drive for nothing. Then he turned around and there it was, the big white envelope tucked into that back of his pants. She screamed and he said, "what??" she said, "Grampa, you have my call in your pants!" Face was red and all.

She took no time to sit down and open it. She wasn't playing around. And you know how in the videos (you watch all the videos on youtube too, right?) the missionary reads it from the beginning? It was long ago decided she would jump right to the good part and tell us where and when.

Rae's mission president told her to prepare herself for a mission call to Idaho, because in that case if that is where she is called, she won't be disappointed, and if she gets called to anywhere else, she was be excited. Also because of health issues (that seem to be cured), we did really think she's stay in the states, and really did start believing it would be Idaho. (we love Idaho, so that really would have been exciting too)

Anyways, here is the call, please excuse the crazy things that came out of our mouths. And as my dad said, "if she'd of been called to the moon, you wouldn't have been more surprised."

True!

When the Baby Ain't No Baby No More

My Zoe was but a wee little once that just warmed my heart so much I probably walked around with a fever for years. I mean, look at her!!!

That sweet baby girl is now 12, but I have to say, she is still warming my heart. And everyone else! She is every siblings favorite. She STILL holds my hand in public and she will still cuddle in my lap.

I was a bit worried about Zoe's birthday because it looked like this was the year of terrible birthdays. And things didn't start so well either! She was having a birthday sleep-over when I got a midnight phone call that I needed to be to work at 9am the next morning and I had no choice but to bring her and friend to work with me. And of course they were bored to tears... so bored that they jumped at the chance to clean.

We did make it to the skating rink afterwards though. Phew!

Zoe had wished for a few interesting things, a bow and arrow and an airsoft gun.

You can see in the picture below which one of those she got.

              So worry not about the robots walking the streets, Zoe is now armed and ready to protect!

Deep Thoughts by Zoe Lu

We had rain nonstop for a week. I love rain but even I felt like enough was enough already. Today was our first non-rainy day and how nice it was! Yesterday, while driving with Zoe as my passenger, she was looking out the window and said, "I hate rain." Then after a long pause she said, "Every time I say that I hate something, I think what if the rain is up in the clouds thinking 'I hate Zoe'?"

Why I Stopped. Why I Started.

Just in case you were wondering.

I stopped blogging because I got super busy. Not to glorify busy because quite frankly I don't find anything wonderful about busy. And it wasn't really that I never had time exactly as much as my mind needed to have less to think about. Secondly my kids kept complaining about any event becoming a blog post. And lastly because my camera broke and in all seriousness, I think a blog without picture is boring. (but I can read a book without pictures. Promise.)

I started blogging again because the reason I started in the first place was to (sorry but it's true) "count my blessings". And I NEEDED to count my blessings. I started when I was dealing with the pretty crummy things that I never shared NOT to make my life sound great and wonderful (as I have heard it said) and tell a lie, but because I needed to find the good in each day. And if I had to post daily (my goal was Mon-Fri) then I had to find the beauty in each day. It was like therapy. Now I think I can check myself out of therapy but heavens, we can always use counting blessings in our life. Secondly, I kept catching Naomi and Zoe looking at old posts and they would share funny things they had read that I didn't even remember. What a shame that I had forgotten, and how great that they could go back. So what have I missed blogging this past year or so that I have forgotten? That makes me sad! And thirdly, even though I still don't have a camera, I do have a lame one on my dumb phone.

So even though this picture of Naomi's All Girl All State Choir are of super duper poor quality, as evident below, at least there are picture.

Right?