Enjoying Brigham and Emily

 

Emily enjoying the swing.
I enjoyed when I was holding her more than when she was in the swing!

Big brother who is good to Emily but is a bit emotional.
He loves his Mommy time!

Emily in her lemon outfit.

Brigham wearing my boots and getting ready to vacuum.
We vacuumed upstairs before his parents came home, each of us
using our individual vacuums.

Brigham liked to put on my boots and have me tie them so that
he could immediately untie them.

This is the tool that he often had me use to "poke dirt".

He looks very serious about playing playdough.
I ended up making him a lot of snakes.  One for almost every color.

Pictures with Grandma!

This is a bit blurry, but he wanted to wear his blue hat because I was wearing mine.

Brigham likes to climb into the walker downstairs and run around,
occasionally running into walls on purpose.  He put weights on the tray
that weighed about the same as he did.

This is one of the five pound weights.  He had Grandma put on the 8 pound weights.

It is really fun to be here.  Mike and Tia are really good parents who obviously love Brigham and Emily!

Sleep

Brigham using "Daddy's rake".  He usually uses his own yellow
one and has me use Daddy's.

It is night time here in Michigan and I really need to get some sleep.  I slept better last night than the night before but it was a little short at both ends.  Still, I have gotten much better sleep than Tia and Mike!  Brigham is a good sleeper and is really quite good at keeping a schedule (unless he falls asleep in the truck like today).  He keeps me busy and would probably have me working in the yard all day if I could stand to be outside raking the dirt all day for no other purpose than to keep a 2 year old happy (Rake Grandma!). 

I have not posted about my new granddaughter being born because I think Tia would like to be the one to share such happy news.  She has been born though, and will be coming home with her Mom and Dad tomorrow.  Brigham has been as sweet as can be with them gone, but he misses them and will be really happy to have his parents back.  We will see if he is as happy to see Emily!

Meet Emily Marie.

 

Pictures from Today

Brigham on Grandma's "Ipad"

Brigham helping Daddy rake in the back yard.

Ghost Brigham with his vacuum
(looking at these pictures makes him giggle)

Brigham smiling with his body through a little hole.
About two seconds before this he was frowning because I wasn't
taking the picture fast enough.

Not pictured is dinnertime at Brigham's Nana and Papa's beautiful house in Michigan.  He liked playing batteries with Papa and he held Nana AND Grandma's hands while going downstairs.  He also enjoyed playing pool (sort of) and playing with potato head, and walking on the treadmill and then riding it so that Grandma could catch him and he could laugh.  Towards the end, he enjoyed sitting on Nana's lap to watch some shows.  He was pretty tired out by the end of a busy day and was a bit emotional, but I'm sure he'll be up bright and early wishing Grandma would hurry up and get up so we can play!

Grandma!

Brigham and me on the way home from the airport.

Brigham with snacks from my bag and some batteries.

More Brigham!

I had the very great pleasure of getting to hear, in person, Brigham say "Grandma" lots of times today.  He wanted to go through Grandma's bag and use her "Ipad" (which is a kindle), and use my other Ipad (which is a Chromebook).  He was thrilled to drink the water from my water bottle and to eat peanuts with me that he found when he went through my bag.  We toured his house, played toys, rode his stuffed animal lion, rolled big drawers around the house with a few toys in them, and sat by each other at dinner.

I got to smile as Tia told him to pick two stories before bed and he said "six" and started pulling several off of the shelf.  He really enjoyed his two stories :-).  He didn't know whether to say goodnight or goodbye to me and so he will probably be a bit surprised when I am still here tomorrow.  Derek asked me what I saw on the way here from the airport and I told him I saw Brigham.  I also saw the entrance into Mike and Tia's neighborhood which is very pretty.

It is fun to be a Grandma and I am looking forward to meeting baby Emily when she is born!

Remembering Alex on His Birthday

Derek's family maybe a year before I met them.
Alex is on his Mom's lap.

I was remembering the other day how, when I met Derek's family, most of the children (Derek is the oldest of 11) had at least one nickname that they went by regularly, and often they had more than one.  I think a lot of these were given by Derek, who didn't have a nick name, and I think Derek's sisters and littlest brother Alex were mostly immune -- though Megan was often Moogie.  I had to learn them all so as not to be confused about who people were talking about!

A lot of things have changed since then (obviously!), but there are some memories that are stuck in time, and are not given the chance to be replaced or added to and so we are just grateful if we have them, or if someone wrote them down so we can hear them.  Around the time that Derek and I got engaged, Alex was diagnosed with cancer and a bit over a year after we got married he passed away.  

Because of this, every year on Alex' birthday, I remember.  I remember Alex wanting to invite both me and Derek's former girlfriend to his birthday party and how Derek's Mom had to tactfully suggest that maybe just Sherie should come this time.  I remember Alex running to put on his shoes every time we came because he knew Derek would tickle his feet.  Of course, this only stalled the inevitable, but his giggles were priceless.

I remember, that as he got more sick, I was constantly impressed with his siblings who would pull out the stops to make him laugh or to otherwise entertain him.  Once I red him Fox in Sox which I liked, but he preferred Henny Penny.  At least that is my memory.  Fox in Sox was too weird.  

Alex absolutely trusted in Priesthood blessings and knew that if he was blessed to have less pain he would.  He was a normal little boy in so many ways, but rather advanced in others -- perhaps simply because of his absolute faith in Jesus and all that he had been taught.

My favorite memory of Alex might always be the one where Derek's Mom was bringing groceries in the house.  She was wearing a red coat and Alex hid his head under it while his Mom pretended she couldn't find him.  He laughed so much, and I don't think I had ever seen anything quite so fun and precious!

We all love Alex, and I am super grateful that I was able to join the family while I was still able to get to know him, at least a little.

A Memorial Day when my children were younger.

A Fantastic Friday

 

Today was a fun day for me.  I had left our Jerusalem Village on top of the television armoire after Christmas.  I liked it there, but I finally decided that I would take it down because I had an idea of how to replace it.  So, I bought some fake grass and put up some of my fairy garden stuff and my wolves that usually go outside plus a nice rustic picture I found at The Painted Tree yesterday.

Before I could do that I had to wash off the wolves, repaint the fairies, and put a grass roof on a wooden cottage.  I also worked on fixing and repainting a house my Mom painted for me that has been outside for two summers.  Every year the sun pretty much destroys my fairy houses and fades everything and I try to restore them the best I can.

An even nicer part of the day was when Jenny (my sister) called and so Derek and I went off to meet them, and Charlie and Emma (nephew and niece-in-law) for dinner in Payson.  What a nice surprise!  It was so fun to get to see and visit with them!

After dinner Derek and I hurried off to a ball game at Salem Hills High School to watch the last boys high school home game of the year.  Derek's cousin Phil's son plays and when we go we get to see a few relatives and friends.  What fun!  Even better, Salem won!

Now we are home and Trisa is here to help celebrate Jake's birthday (again) this weekend.  I am so grateful that we have so many good people in our lives.  Getting to see and/or visit with good friends and relatives is definitely a blessing.

Love A Little Extra Day

For years I have watched as many people mourn on Valentine's Day.  They mourn their lack of a significant other, or a "Valentine" that is all of their own.  I have also heard of people who complain that it is a time when they feel pressure to give a gift that is romantic, or expensive and so they feel it is a holiday of extortion.  Every year I wish that St. Valentine's Day was just thought of as a day to love a little extra and to celebrate God's individual love for each and every person there is.

I will grant that this is easy for me to say because I have Derek and a beautiful bouquet of flowers in my room, but I don't like that people feel sad on a day that is meant to celebrate love.  Now, I have discovered that I can't make anyone want to celebrate their own birthdays and I can't make anyone want to celebrate Valentine's day.  I cannot take away the sadness that comes from not having something you desperately want, and I can't make anyone want to give a gift without feeling forced to do so.  I just hope that when you read this, whether you have your own special "Valentine" or not, you will try to think of ways that you can love a little extra today and lift the burdens of those who feel sad, lonely, and forgotten.

Heavenly Father and Jesus will never ever forget you or stop loving you and I hope that there is someone in your life who will help you to feel that today.

Jake To The Rescue!

One thing I notice every time it is Jake's birthday is that he likes to avoid
getting his picture taken and he seems to be good at it!

Today is Jake's birthday.  I asked him if he'd like me to call his work and tell them it is his birthday and he said "Absolutely not!"  Of course, I knew he would say that.  He was always pleased in high school if he could get through his whole birthday without anyone realizing it.  He doesn't like to have the attention centered on him.

Quite a long time ago now, when it was Halloween time, I decorated our front porch and door as "The Bat Cave".  We always joked that if we asked at dinner time who was Batman, all of our children would raise their hand.  So, on the inside of the front and back door I hung a sign that said, "To The Rescue!"  I was thinking last night that in our family, I don't know if there is anyone who is called on to come to the rescue in one way or another more than Jake.

A spider in your room, or the bathroom?   "Jake, Jake, Jake!"

Something broken that needs to be fixed?  "Jake!"

Need some help lifting something?  "Jake!"

Need someone to walk with?  "Jake!"

Need someone to talk to, or play a game with?  "Jake!"

Need a hand building something?  Running electricity?  Digging holes?  "Jake!"

Do you need help with your dog?  "Jake!"

Perhaps you need someone good with children?  "Jake!"

Or, you need someone who can do ridiculously hard things and never get sore muscles?  Yes, that would be Jake too.

You get the idea.  Jake is called on to do a lot of things at our house and he doesn't complain.  Very occasionally, if he's been asked to do something over and over and over again and he's had it you might get a stubborn look that let's you know you might want to find someone else, but it is very rare!

This picture is old, but Jake spends a lot of time helping his Dad with projects!

I love Jake.  I love how much his siblings are thankful for him, and how much he loves them in return.  I love his smile and his sense of humor and his hugs.  I love that he uses his talents to help all of us.  We are all thankful for Jake and hope that he has a happy birthday!

Wacky Weather Report

Photo by Xiang Gao on Unsplash
Our snow looked like this, but I didn't take any new snow pictures today.

Today there were moments when I would look out the window and see fog.  Other moments I looked out the window and saw lots of snow coming down.  Out of curiosity I wanted to see what Alexa (of Amazon fame) thought the weather was.  When I asked she said, "It is 36 degrees and rainy.  You can expect snow flurries later today.  

Fast forward a bit and Derek taught Dan and I how to use the snow blower.  We blew off 4 or 5 inches of snow as more snow fell on the driveway behind us.  Then Dan and I went on an adventure to the new Spanish Fork Library and out for a treat.  It snowed big flakes the whole time we were driving there and back and we slid around the last couple of corners on the way home.

Derek and I were going to go on a date today but I suggested we go tomorrow because I really was done with being out in the snow.  Derek looked outside and said "Wow the driveway needs to be cleared again".  He blew off as much snow as we had done the first time!   

Sometimes Alexa is right about the weather, but looking out the window is usually a better measure of what is really going to happen, and for sure is better at seeing what IS really happening!  I am thankful for the snow even if I was tired of being in it.  It brings moisture and beauty!

Love Does

 

This is one of the books that I purchased with my Christmas book money from Derek's parents.  I loved it so much I pretty much stopped every few minutes to tell whatever story I was reading to whoever was around.  Bob Goff has some pretty funny stories, but he also has some good wisdom.

One thing he says is that "most people need love and acceptance a lot more than they need advice."  I have been trying to practice listening to understand and NOT spouting all of my "wisdom" when it isn't asked for.  I fail sometimes and succeed sometimes.  I do know that it is easy to feel like someone sees me as less than if they are giving me advice I didn't think I needed!  I do try to remember that people generally are just trying to help and aren't intending their advice as criticism.

I like this one to:  "It has always seemed to me that broken things, just like broken people, get used more; it’s probably because God has more pieces to work with."  I like this thought because it is easy, when I feel like I am broken, to feel useless instead of seeing that God can use me for good no matter how useless I feel if I just give a little effort!

I certainly am not likely to do a lot of the things Bob Goff, and even his children have done, but the book is good for giving you something to think about and I recommend it!

Creating With Our Creator

It's gray and rainy outside, and there are clouds obscuring the tops of the mountains.  The lower part of the mountain is brown, and the upper part is white with dark evergreens.  I can see birds flying around, but the Elk that were on the ridge across the way on Saturday and the deer that ran across the hill that same morning are hiding somewhere in the trees.  It's an interesting combination of barren and beautiful.  

Yesterday I was thinking again about the creativity of the Great Creator (Jesus).  There are such a wide variety of landscapes, and the one out my window is constantly changing!  There are multitudes of different plants, animals, and bugs.  There are the oceans that are full of plants and creatures that I find a bit creepy, probably because I am not used to them.  There are mountains, valleys, sand dunes, flat desserts, rivers, streams, and oceans (among other things).  

I imagine that Jesus enjoyed creating the world and I get joy in creating little things.  Blogs, music, order, paintings, drawings, and even baked goods.  I like fixing things that are broken, or making them look new again if they are a bit worn.  I like decorating to make things look nice and rearranging things to give them a new look.  I like planting things and watching as they go from a little seed or plant to something a lot bigger.  

I think that we were all meant to enjoy creating in some way.  Whether we are creating stories, houses, cars, fairy gardens, wooden furniture, or anything else, it is a way for us to be close to the Great Creator Himself.  It is a way to be inspired, and to find joy in the gifts we've been given.  I am thankful today for the chances I have to use some of my time creating things that I enjoy!

Something I created before Christmas out of the D.I. purchase above.

Showing Gratitude With A Smile

 

Brigham's Nana found these pajamas for him on sale.  Do you think he likes them?

Naturally I absolutely love this picture of Brigham.  It is now my phone's lock and home screen.  I say something like "I love him so much!" every time I open my phone.  I just got thinking that it would be awesome if we all accepted gifts like Brigham -- with a huge smile!  When we gave him chapstick, he wanted it open and used it immediately.  When he's given a toy, he starts to play with it.  If he's brought a snack, he likely starts eating it immediately.

As a two year old he might lose interest just as fast and start throwing a tantrum five minutes later, but he is generally very good at receiving gifts.  It is fun to give gifts to people who are so happy to receive something.  I know I could learn from Brigham's example and be more openly happy over any gifts I receive.  Surely my gratitude won't be missed if I smile as big as Brigham did!