The Spirit of Elijah and Madison

While Jenny and James were here for our Sacrament Meeting we had an inspiring talk or two on doing geneology. The thing that hit me was a story about almost losing an ancester because the only living person who knew about her died soon after sharing that knowledge. So I decided its time to find Ed's ancesters (Richard's step-dad). After all Richard is sealed to him!

The fun thing is that Jenny got inspired at the same time and she's been working on family history stuff, too. I've been trying to duplicate info I found years ago from the 1920 and 1930 censuses and am too cheap to pay the $19 a month ancestry.com fee. Today I discovered that my good old library card gives me access to stuff right here! I found all of Ed's brothers and sisters, including a twin brother I didn't know about (see lines 90 and 91)!

I got to watch Madison for a few minutes yesterday. She saw the camera and wanted me to take her picture. Who could resist such a cutie?

Update!

We can all relax now! My brave, smart husband put a trap under the stove and caught a mouse! I may even be able to sleep tonight!

Paradise Lost

My home, my refuge and heaven on earth has just become the place of dread and fear! I just saw a mouse run under my stove! I'm guessing it came in on Sunday night when Richard was taking the garbage out. I remember an uneasy feeling when he left the door to the garage open for a few minutes. Hopefully he will be home soon to rescue me from the scarry creature. Why does such a tiny little thing fill me with such fear? Amber, I'm feeling your pain!

Sophie sick and almost everyone leaves us.

Sophie felt lousy yesterday. She is really anti-social and grumpy when she's sick. I thought it was pretty funny, but poor Jessica tries so hard to get Sophie to be nice to everyone. When something or someone bugs her she growls at it or her and sounds just like the beast in "Beauty and the Beast" before he is tamed. It may have something to do with the number of times she watched it the last 3 days.

We finally got to see James. He's been at BYU recruiting all week. His parents brought the darling couple up last night. They missed seeing Sophie before her bedtime, but maybe that was a good thing. Here's Jen and James entertaining Tessa while Jessica packed this morning.

Here's the last shot of baby girl Quincy until she arrives to Houston, hopefully while I am there from the end of November to the first of December.

Here's James, Jenny and baby boy Kendall packing into the car. Its been so nice to have everyone here! Thanks for coming everyone! The next time we're all together there will be even more fun and excitement with the 2 new ones! Just a note that I'm thankful to still have Joni and Matt, Jack, and Josh and Meg here. I love having them over, Josh and Meg every Sunday and the others when they can make it. Jonathan isn't quite so bored and lonely with your visits and Meg; thanks for always jumping right in to help whether it's quilting or cooking or playing games! You make the pain of my kids leaving me much less painful!

Another fun day with family!

Tessa woke up sweet and fun as usual this morning! Nicole heard her first and brought her upstairs where we got to play with her for a while until her mom found her.Sophie loved the umbrella I found her! She wasn't quite herself this morning, but we kept her busy and when Joni showed up, we headed to the West Jordan Park I've been hoping to get my girls to for the last year.Sophie loved it, but was whiney and clung to her mom most of the time there.

3 of my cute girls and my future grandson.

Joni and Tessa swinging.

Jenny trying to a be the photographer I need her to be when her son is born.
Jen and Tessa peeking out of the barn.Tessa loving the mister. Poor little Sophie got feverish and croupy when we got home. No wonder she was not herself.While we were playing at the park Richard was slaving away at home cooking up a wonderful fish fry for us for lunch! Josh even made it to eat with us! Thanks Richard is was wonderful! For some dumb reason I didn't get any pictures of the great food or Josh today!Aunt Jenny saved the day and got us children's Motrin and popsicles and Sophie perked right up. Here she is smiling again and modeling her "new" princess nightgown handed down from her cousin.

Hanging at home and the baby shower!

So many wonderful gifts! Thanks everyone!

Sophie admires Matt's yoyo skills.

Jonathan played beautifully during most of the shower. It was appreciated by many!Aren't they darling pregnant ladies?

Tessa and her cute great-grandma!

The sibling picture remembered after Josh and Joni leave.
Jason pretending he's not related.
Jen meets Steph.
Sophie enjoying her cousin's quilt.
Meg and Amy intently conversing!
Nicole and her Mom
Steph and Jack arrive.
The Birthday boy!
Opening the many shower gifts.
Relaxing during the shower.
Hand off.The bellies.
Salsa eaters.
Jen and Tessa play on the floor.
Richard displaying his great grandpa skills; pushing 2 girls in the swings.

The Safe Arrival of all Travelors!

Jenny arrived before 10:00 this morning! Jess, Jason, Nicole, Sophie, Tessa and of course Richard arrived after 6:00 this evening. It's nice to see the cute little pregnant girls looking healthy! Sophie is smarter, more social and more hilarious than ever. Tessa is as sweet and smiley as always.

Poor Jonathan

Lately Jonathan has been enjoying running without shoes. He does dryland training for an hour after school before they swim for an hour and a half. Yesterday he learned the hard way that running on astroturf is not like running on grass. He burnt the bottoms of his feet so bad that he can hardly walk. I took a picture of the blisters on the bottom of one of his feet. The biggest blister is on his heel. Hopefully it will heal over the week-end!

One Evening Closer to Christ

One of our SALT classes in our ward is reading "21 Days Closer to Christ" together. I have loved reading this book. We just cover 2 chapters a month and it only takes a few minutes to read a chapter. When this class ends, I plan to reread the book as prescribed; doing a chapter a day, with its scripture reading and challenge for 21 consecutive days.
Last night Emily Freeman came and spoke to our Relief Society. What an amazing woman! I had a hard time taking notes, between the tears and just feeling so into what she was saying. She talked about how to learn to feel the Lord's hand in our lives in the midst of our trials. Then how to remember His tender mercies, so that we can share them and testify of them to our children and children's children.
A couple of scriptural insights from her that I loved were; that the Lord's promised people have always been promised a "Promised Land" and that to get to that "Promised Land" they had to pass through "a Wilderness". Then she told of the wilderness that the Jaredites had to pass; actually a year at sea and how they needed to be spiritually prepared to do it; Ether 2:25.
She told how Joshua and the Israelites had to pass a huge river before they could enter the promised land after the 40 years in the wilderness. The Lord told them to sanctify themselves and to follow the priests and they would see a miracle the next day. Then after the river stacked up and they were passing the Lord had 1 man from each of the 12 tribes get a stone from the middle of the river. They made a memorial on the other side with the stones, so that their children would know and remember what had happened. ( Joshua 4) I loved that! I hope that I can keep testifying to my children and now to my children's children of the many tender mercies the Lord has done for me. One of them was being able to listen to Emily Freeman speak!