sealing celebration

Over Memorial Day weekend, we celebrated our forever family. It has been 8 years since Kyler and Kacin were adopted and then sealed to us in the temple and 4 years since Layla and Perry. It is the most amazing, comforting, and purposeful thing for me to know that our family is eternal.

A few days before we celebrated our sealing (which we try to do Memorial day weekend), E and I went to the Gilbert temple and helped with sealings. A couple had brought in some family names and we got to help those couples and children have the opportunity to be sealed together. I loved that we got to hear the words of the sealing spoken many times as we did the work for those families. Though the words don't change, I seem to learn something new every time I do temple work. I loved that what stood out to me this time was exactly what stood out to Eric, too. I guess it was something we both needed to hear.

On sunday, we went to the Mesa temple. We sat outside and E shared a message with our children (it had to do with what we learned when doing sealings). Eric is a pretty great dad.

Perry was in a mood and a half. But he insisted I take his picture here.

And by some miracle, let's call it the miracle of the cheez-it bag found in the car (where it came from and how long it had been there nobody knows. but thank goodness it was there.), we were able to sit in a theater room in the visitor's center and watch one of the new videos about the restoration of the gospel. I really enjoyed it (in between calming someone down and feeding him cheeze-it by cheeze-it).

 

I laughed at Kacin's photo bomb found in this burst of pictures. Not to mention E ad Ky's pose. 

 

We managed to get everyone in this selfie (do you see Perry back there behind Kacin?) before we headed home and ate some cake. I love this family of mine!

2017 family theme

 

In 2016, our family's focus was the Six B's spoken about by Gordon B. Hinckley. We recited the 6 B's every monday night at family home evening and tried to incorporate them into some of our lessons and discussions throughout the year. We started the year off strong with our family goals, but after a few months in I think we all forgot that we were even planning on setting goals that year! I know that when we were deciding on our 2017 theme, for the life of me, I could not remember if we had even set any family goals in 2016. Thank goodness for this blog so I could eventually go back and check to remember! Some years are better than others.

I sat down a few weeks ago to brainstorm my thoughts for our focus in 2017. After praying, I made a list of thoughts, words, and scriptures that came to my mind. My mind kept settling on something to do with the word "courage." Eric and I talked about a few different ideas. But it wasn't until the day before we presented our theme to our kiddos that we settled on a phrase and a scripture.

Our 2017 family focus is  Have Courage, and Be Kind

and Alma 53:20-21  

20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

 21 Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.

This phrase "Have courage and Be Kind" was the trendy latest-thing after the Cinderella movie came out so we hesitated to use it for fear it had been over used. We like the idea of carving our own path around here and not jumping on a bandwagon. But there was no way around it, the phrase was simple and to the point and exactly what we want to focus on this year.

Our goals this year are focused directly on this theme and have more to do with our character, our actions, and our thoughts.

Have Courage and Be Kind

2017 family goals

Have courage

-to try new things

-to stand for the right

-to be friendly

-to act

-to face your fears

-to be honest

-to show up

-to be involved

-to care

-to develop and share your talents

-to choose the unpopular, but right, choice

-to follow your heart

-to communicate clearly

-to look everyone in the eye

-to say “I’m sorry” or “I was wrong”

Be Kind

-notice others

-give compliments

-hold the door for others

-show empathy

-give hugs

-smile

-be generous

-show gratitude

-say please and thank you

-say “I’m sorry” and be quick to forgive

-stay calm

-use a pleasant tone of voice

-put others before yourself

-don’t argue

-assume everyone is trying their best

-give the benefit of the doubt

-to yourself

When we presented the theme to our kids and talked together about what it means, I also found this quote that I just love. I read that this was on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta and it is based on writing published by Kent Keith. It's hanging on our quote board right now.

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  

Forgive them anyway.If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

So there you have it. We are ready for 2017! 

we will NOT be doing this next year

Hands down my favorite time of year and tradition in Washington was going to the farms, pumpkin patches, and corn mazes all over Snohomish. 

Since we loved it so much there, we decided to give it a chance here in Arizona. 

Big mistake!!

 The line to get into the farm was horrendously long (30 min to buy our tickets!). We should've just walked away right then because it was so ridiculously crowded we could do hardly anything else.

Another thirty minute wait and two of our kids rode on the oldest working carousel (I think in the US? or maybe just Arizona). Layla got on one of the original horses.

We watched the pig race (Perry had a HUGE tantrum when I was saving spots with him and Layla. Thank goodness for kind people around us who magically became kinder when I apologized and thanked her and explained the autism thing).

We gave up on all of the other activities and went on the hay ride.

 It dropped us off at the corn maze.  It was approaching 100 degrees and I think we all wished we were swimming in a pool right then not wandering through a corn maze. After maybe fifteen minutes, we got ourselves out without finishing so we could get our pumpkins and get home.

Everyone picked a pumpkin off of the dusty ground.

He only wanted the biggest one because he wants to turn it into Optimus Prime.

We told him if he wanted it, he had to carry it.Oh did he try with all his might! He even tried recruiting Layla to carry one side for him. In the end, daddy took pity on him and carried it for him.

Layla went through lots of pumpkins trying to find the perfect size for herself.

She finally found the perfect one.

Arizona has a lot to offer. Pumpkin patches and farms are not one of them. Oh well. In the end, we got our pumpkins and we had an adventure. But I think we will be making other plans next fall break.

conference weekend

The tradition continues--matching pajama clothes. This year, in honor of our big move, we all got ASU attire to wear General Conference weekend.

We soaked up as much as we could during the sessions. I keep telling myself that one day it won't be so loud in our house and that I won't be so exhausted that as soon as I sit down during the day I fall asleep. Until then, we listen to as much as possible and then I look forward to studying the addresses when I get my magazine.

In between sessions, we tried to get out some energy. We walked to Sprouts to get candy to munch on during the second session. We also went to my parents house so the boys could all watch the Priesthood session with great-grandpa Allen.

We went on a walk along the canal Sunday afternoon. Everyone had to point out something beautiful along the way. The boys made sure to point out a dead bird. To add to our adventure, it started to sprinkle. I told everyone it would stop and we would be fine so we kept on walking. And then it started to pour. So we ran to take shelter in the nearest house under construction. 

It started to let up so out we went. Before we got very far, it started to dump again so back we ran to our shelter.

We were finally able to emerge and hurry home before the rains continued.

All that rain left our backyard a beautiful mud pit.

After the last session of conference, Perry couldn't resist it and spent a good thirty minutes out playing in the mud by himself. Eventually, the other three kids joined in for a good mud fight. A little mud never hurt anyone.

ensign ranch, part 3

It was the ultimate way to enjoy our last year of spring break at the ranch-- making up a dance and a putting together a little music video.



It was probably the first and last time for me and Lorane to be referred to as "dance teacher". But it sure was a blast.

I didn't get this one in time to add to the music video, and the quality isn't so great, but it must be documented that we even danced down by the lake with life jackets on.



And you better believe that we also danced it out in the dark at our glow party.

Let me back up and explain our little glow party. I was in charge of a group activity Thursday night. We divided the kids into teams and they were given a list of tasks to complete around the lodge area. They had to do things like sing "I'm a Little Teapot", balance a ping pong ball on a paddle as they walked around the room, touch a car with a license plate that had an "I", count the doors in the lodge, drink a cup of milk using licorice straws, etc.

When each team completed the tasks, they were given an envelope with a puzzle. They put the puzzle together to reveal the location of the prizes. Each kid got a baggie of glowsticks and candy.

Then we turned off the lights, blasted the music, and threw around glowing balloons (you can see the balloons in one of the pictures above. we just put a glowstick inside each balloon) while we danced and played.

Friday night was pretty awesome, too. We played minute to win it games.

To remember the week, here is one more video with the clips that didn't make the fight song video.



We have loved this tradition to come to ensign for the past four years. We have made such wonderful memories here. We were all a little sad that this was our last time here. But, I guess, we are on to new spring break adventures next year!