Merry Christmas from the Prophet

I believe Great Grandma Blank is the last remaining widow of President Monson's. He had a good visit with her this Christmas Eve. He was even nice enough to let us get a picture with him. He told some great stories and why he decided to visit the widows he had as a bishop even after he was released. He is one great man. But I guess everyone else knew that! :)

No, I did not photoshop this!!!

Santa's Elves

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Grateful Hearts

Well, lately I've been thinking about the economy and how people are doing with losing their jobs, crime on the rise, and those who have so much vs. those who have so little. My prayers and fasts lately have focused on asking Heavenly Father to touch the lives of those who have so much, that they will be willing to give to those who have very little or nothing, and that as a nation, we will become more righteous, less prideful, and more willing to serve and give to others. Just the other day in class, we talked about who was worried about the economy and why. Some comments given by my class members were focused on how this was actually good for us because now prices were lower on commodities and homes, that stock markets were down at the right time so they could begin to invest at lower prices, and that they were going to have good paying jobs. This economy was actually better for them! I was shocked and totally disappointed. Everyone seemed to be focused only on how this financial crisis affected them. I began to be really discouraged and thought, "If this is how some of the best and brightest and most righteous young people think, where is our nation headed? We don't have a chance of making it through these hard times as a people." I cried in class, and thought about what I could do to help others.

Then today, we got a package in the mail from Jason and Kristen. They had sent us some Christmas presents, just because. We were amazed that they did this for us even though everyone agreed not to do presents for siblings this year to cut back on costs. They are such a good example of being willing to share and give to others. They have always been this way. They have taught us so much. We also got a check in the mail from the Robisons. Jill had told me that she wanted to pay for us to go see Twilight because she knew how much I wanted to see it...so she and Aaron gave up a date night to go see it and sent us the money instead. For something that might not seem to be a big deal, it sure was to me. This gesture of kindness showed me how much her family cares about my family and how unselfish and kindhearted they are. I hope someday, I am half the woman Jill is.

Then tonight, we got a loud knock on our door. Jaren opened it briefly, then closed it again. Then I heard him call my name. I went into the other room and he said that someone had left presents for us. He called J.J. and Ryan to get out of bed. When we were all gathered, the kids opened the door. There was a large basket of presents and two smaller gift baskets filled with gift certificates, candies, and other items. I won't go into too much detail, but it was obvious that a lot of thought, money, and effort went into these presents. Someone had gone WAY out of their way to do something very incredible for us. We both couldn't stop crying. I cannot even begin to express what we feel about what has happened today. I went from feeling discouraged and disappointed in society, to feeling overwhelmed by the amazing generosity of others close to us. My intentions for praying that people would feel inclined to help others was not for us to receive that help. But, as always, Heavenly Father answered my prayers in ways that I did not foresee in order to help our family as well as restore my faith in humanity. If by some chance, the people who did this for us ever read this blog, I hope they know just how much they touched our little family. It's not so much the money that they spent on us (although goodness knows it was a lot), it's that someone wanted to share the blessing that our Father in Heaven had given to them, and I'm sure were guided by the Spirit in doing so. We will remember this great kindess for the rest of our lives, and they have provided us with a sterling example of service. As Jaren and I talked about it, we have decided that these are the people we want to emulate. We are trying to rededicate ourselves to service...whether that be with our time, money, talents, or anything else. We want to be the people who give liberally to all and do it with a happy heart. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that if you have, you will also feel touched to help someone else this season, and for the rest of your lives as well.

Jaren's Birthday - 32!!!

Jaren's birthday was fun. He joked that now it took all of the members of our family (that could hold fingers up anyway) to show how old he is. Jaren and I got to go to Red Robing, as is our tradition, thanks to Dad and Mom Ford's gift certificate and Jordan, who babysat our children for us. Thank you, thank you!! J.J., Ryan, and Chase got their Daddy his favorite treats for his birthday, and then proceeded to eat a good portion of them! We love you Jaren! Hope your day was great.

Christmas fun for the boys!!

Thank you Grandma Ford for the gingerbread surprises!!! The boys had fun putting together their own gingerbread houses and playing puppets. Ryan immediately loved the puppets. J.J. took a little convincing, but I've seen him covertly playing with them. I wonder if he thinks that he has to be a really big boy and not like stuffed type animals. He has never really bonded with any, but I think he could enjoy them if he gave them a chance! I put on a little puppet show for them and pretended to give them candy and stuff. That opened the door for J.J. to start thinking they were fun. What a silly boy I have. As you can tell, Ryan thought these were the best things ever. He keeps bringing me one and telling me to make it cry or have it open his presents.

One of the things my children like the most about the holidays is how much they get to eat and the kinds of food they get to eat. They are sugar and chocoholics. I made pumpkin chocolate chip bread the other day (because we had no food so I had to cook), and they were so excited. J.J. got mad at me for taking a picture of him while he was eating...it starts already. I think I have Jaren to thank for that! :) Ryan was pretty upset about finishing his beater until I showed him that he had spilled a little on the chair. He proceeded to lick it clean. That's my boy!

More Star Wars Pictures

JJ had been so excited for his birthday party for weeks before his birthday. He couldn't wait for all his little friends to come over and play. When the boys first came to the party, they decorated their goody bags with crayons and Star Wars stickers and played around for a little while. Then they played "hot Vader" (or hot potato) to Star Wars music with a little Darth Vader and got prizes when they were out.

After the game, we went outside and each of the boys got to break open their own little pinata Death Star with a lightsaber. Some of them flew!!

What a great day! After the party was over, JJ went to Robby's house with Jaren to watch a BYU football game, but I think they basically just ended up playing lightsabers with each other. LOL. We just can't get enough Star Wars!

Independence!!!

I know these seem like totally random pictures, but they represent a scenario that has made me realize just how much my little JJ is growing up. The other day, we were having leftover mac and cheese and JJ really didn't want it. He could tell I didn't want to make him what he wanted by my response, "Sigh, I don't think so...let's just have macaroni, k? His response to my response was, "Don't worry, I'll just make it myself!" So he gets out the bread, peanut butter, honey, and a knife (because who needs a plate?). He was so proud of himself for doing it...and so was I! I don't know how others feel about their kids growing up, but I love it!!! I have so much fun seeing them change and do new things. Makes life fun and new for me too! Oh and really quick, another cute thing JJ did was to deliver the invitations for his party himself. He wanted to make sure I didn't come with him. When he found the address we were looking for, he'd run to the door, turn around and give me a huge grin and a thumbs up...how much do I love this kid?!! Here's the invitation...

Aren't you a little short to be a stormtrooper?

This Halloween was so fun! I can't believe how much more my kids and I enjoy these holidays as they get older. J.J. saw this stormtrooper costume at Target and had to have it. Because it was Star Wars, he got it a few weeks later. They loved going trick or treating. We were actually out doing it for probably and hour to an hour and a half. And the only complaint we got was when J.J. had to go to the bathroom right in the middle of it. Go figure!

The next day, J.J. wanted to share his candy with his mommy and daddy, so he divided them up and put our names on different papers so we each knew whose was whose. He's so cute and giving. We love you J.J. (P.S. you might be interested to know that later that day he decided that he wanted to keep his candy, so he put it all back in his bag!)

Blankie Boo-boo

Some of you might know that Ryan has a blankie he adores. My sister Miriam made it for us. Ever since he was little, he has needed it to sleep. The blankie has graduated to different stages over the years. At one point, it was just used as a night-time comfort. Then he started carrying it around the house and needing it every time he cried. Then he used it as, well, I don't even know what. He would grab just a little piece of the yarn and get it in between his fingers and stick it to his nose and just hold it there. Weird, huh? And now it is his pillow as well and he wants to take it in the car, to the store, and drag it around the house. When he is in a really caring and sharing mood, he will put it on Chase to let him know he loves him. So cute! But all this love is doing something to the blankie...

It's dying...and Ryan is helping it! He likes to play with the yarn that is loose, and I don't know how to fix it. I really don't want it to get ruined cuz he loves it so much and it would be a great keepsake for him. Somebody help me! Miriam, could you please come down to Utah? It's urgent!!!

Ryan's temple

I just had to post this picture b/c it is so typically Ryan. He loves to build things with blocks, train tracks, and pretty much anything else he sees. While I was sick this last week, I had rolls of toilet paper everywhere and my house was a disaster. I was laying on the couch trying to rest my eyes when Ryan started telling me/screaming at me that he had a temple. So I looked and oogled for him. Then he said, "Picture, Mommy." So I complied - but only because he was just so cute and proud of himself. I think it shows in this picture.

Halloween Pumpkins

For family home evening last week, we carved some fun pumpkins. Grandma Ford sent the boys a little Halloween package with these patterns and face decorations. JJ was so excited to do these! As the boys get older, things like this keep getting to be more fun! We had a blast doing it. Jordan and Kelly came over and did a couple of their own. Can't wait for Halloween!

Friends in July

So...my first blog. I first got motivated to do this by Jill Robison who knows everything about everyone because of these little blogs people are doing. Then by Desta Gillice, who also knows just about everything people in our old neighborhood are up to. I figured maybe I could give it a whirl too.

We had a fun little picnic today at a park in Mapleton with Rachel, Gaby, Trisha, and Desta. It was so fun to see them all and how their families are growing. We just loved being able to get together with them all again, catch up, and let our kids play together. So much fun! I LOVED that ward we were all in together!