I Love to See the Temple

The other night Heather and I had the opportunity to go to the temple. 

 

We were there helping the youth.  It was amazing see how the youth were so willing serve.  Heather and I both feel like it was a blessing to be there and to step back from our busy schedules and take time to serve the Lord. 

 

One of the major focuses of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the family.  One of the purposes of the temple is to allow members of the church to be married for eternity.  Heather and I have had the blessing of being married in the temple and are grateful for the knowledge we have that our family will continue on after this life.  We have attempted to teach our kids about the blessing of being married in the temple.  They love to go to the temple and walk around the grounds and pretend to be the Angel Moroni that is on top of the temple.

 

As Heather and I were getting ready to leave to go to the temple Lily came up to us and asked us where we were going.  We explained to her that we were going to the temple.  Her response was, "You're going to get married!"  We then explained to her that we had already been married, but that we were going to go and do baptisms for the dead.  When she heard that she got all excited and wanted to come with us and was very disappointed when we explained the she had 8 more years until she could go.

 

Honestly, I feel like Heather and I have been blessed to have the church in our lives.  To know that God has a plan for us and has given us prophets, scripture, prayer, temples, and family to help us, makes me feel valued and helps me know God loves me.

 

As one of my favorite primary song states, "I love to see the temple...Where we are sealed together, As a child of God, I've learned this truth: A family is forever."

Ben's Portrait As Drawn By Lily

What Ben looks like according to our camera.

 

What Ben looks like according to Lily's interpretive artistic skill.  The lines on the bottom of his face are his beard.  The lines within his smile are his teeth.  And those lines to the left and right of his head?  No.  Those aren't arms.  They're his ear hair.  Well done Lily.  You capture your father so well.

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving I wanted to brine our turkey for the first time.  So I read a bunch of recipes that all said to put the turkey in a 5 gallon bucket in the fridge for a couple of days.  This was a problem for me for two reasons: 1 - I'm normal and I don't have room for a 5 gallon bucket in my fridge.  2 - I only use 5 gallon buckets for storing homemade laundry detergent, mopping the floor, and cleaning out the fish tank.  There was a psychological issue involved with putting a turkey in one. So one night in my sleep (which is when I get all of my best ideas -- does this happen to anyone else?), I came up with the idea of putting the turkey in a crisper.  Sure enough, I found a tutorial online that shows you how to put your turkey and brine into an oven bag in the crisper.  For my own future reference, I used this tutorial.  It was scrumptiously tasty.

 

Instead of capturing photos of our mouthwatering dishes (hey, I was hungry once they were all on the table), I took one of our kitchen after all of our cooking was done.  I guess this is what you can expect when you make everything except the pie crust from scratch.  At least Ben and I love to cook and bake.  It was a fun food preparation marathon for us.  :)

 

Oh, and if your kitchen didn't look like this after you cooked your Thanksgiving dinner, don't tell me.

 

It's my family's tradition to decorate the house for Christmas on Black Friday.  So while the kids were down for their afternoon naps, Ben and I managed to set up the tree with most of our decorations before the kids came back down.  I can remember doing this same thing when I was little.  There's something magical about Christmas trees.

 

Something we are grateful for: our new Toyota Sienna.  How. We. Love. This. Van.  It's sort of a like a fancy hotel room on wheels (sans the free chocolates).  But more importantly, we got it for an amazing deal.  We weren't expecting to find something this nice in our price range, so it was a very pleasant surprise!

Another thing to be grateful for: after we set up the Christmas tree, Ella decided not to be allergic to our camera anymore (as she has been for the last month) and allowed us to capture a tiny glimpse of what her baby giggles are like.

 

And lastly, my sister Lizzie gave birth to our newest nephew, JJ, on Thanksgiving morning.  Happy Thanksgiving to us!  What a fantastic day!

Play Time

Call me evil, but I have a rule that if I'm working in the kitchen, the kids aren't allowed to be in there with me.  Lily and Skyler seem to suddenly lose their sense of hearing when I remind them of this.  But if it's the trains that are in my kitchen, I don't mind.  At least it keeps them out from under my feet.  Ikea train sets are worth every penny (not that we had to spend many). 

 

Still trying to figure out manual focus on my camera. 

 

 

 

Lest you think my children are perfect angels when they play, I give you this.  Lily found one of Ben's ties and used it for Rapunzel's hair.  She also told Skyler that he got to play Rapunzel's mom.  Nice touch, Lily.  I want to record this for reality's sake.  And because it made me snort a little.

The Day We Almost Died. (A Dramatic But True Blog Post Title)

Tonight we were driving to Cary to check out some new furniture since I pretty much DESPISE mine.  Lily ironically asked us, "Why do we wear seat belts?"  We explained that they keep us safe in case of an accident.  I told her about the time I got hit by a school bus when I was in high school and Ben told about how he and his dad got in an accident once when there was freezing rain on the road.  So she thought that was cool and we kept driving. 

We got on our exit and turned left.  Then we came to another intersection where we had a green light, so naturally we kept driving.  Then I noticed that a CR-V in was coming toward us to my right.  I wasn't sure if they were still driving or if they were one of those cars that slams on the break at the last second to stay behind the white line.  But they were driving.  That's when I knew we were going to get hit.  And that it would be bad.

So here were my thoughts in that last half second before we got hit:

1 -  This wreck isn't our fault.  The light was green.
2 - Please hit me.  Not the kids.
3 - I could die.  Why am I not freaking out?

The CR-V hit the right front corner of our van.  Our van was totalled.  Our air bags deployed, we spun, and it was loud.  When we came to a stop Ben immediately jumped out of the van to check to see if it was on fire because it was smoking pretty badly.  At the same time I jumped in the back to check on the kids and got them unbuckled.  Ella and Skyler were unfazed.  Lily was in shock.  I opened one of the passenger doors to let the smoke from the air bags out.  A witness came up and offered to help, so he carried Lily and Skyler in his arms to the side of the road while I got Ella out.  I stuffed everything into my purse that mattered, but struggled since my hands were shaking.

Cops, paramedics, and firemen showed up almost immediately, so I called my dad to come and get us.  Some other witnesses brought us blankets and towels from their cars that we could sit on and wrap around the kids since it was getting dark and cold.  Luckily, we had made a warm bottle for Ella right before we left so I pulled it out and tried feeding her.

We did the typical Q's and A's.  When we were done with that and my dad still hadn't arrived, one of the firemen, noticing Lily's shock and that she couldn't calm down, asked us if we wanted to go sit in the fire truck.  Since I was in Mommy Mode the whole time and was acting as if everything was perfectly fine, I made it sound like that was a big deal.  So up we climbed into the warm fire truck.  It was just me, the three kids, and a fire fighter, while Ben took care of all the boring stuff.  We learned all about their equipment and talked about Disney movies. 

About 15 minutes later the fire fighter had to get out to sweep the glass out of the road.  This was the first private moment I had had with the kids since we were still in our van.  Lily asked me, "Mommy, when is Jesus going to come save us?"  I explained to her that He already had.  Since she was still shaken up, I asked her if she wanted me to say a prayer.  She nodded her head.  So while we're sitting alone in this fire truck, we all folded our arms and said a prayer of gratitude. 

While we were doing that, Ben was talking to some fire fighters and mentioned that he was glad we had a Honda Odyssey.  A fireman told him that had we not been in an Odyssey or a Sienna, all of us would be in the hospital.  So to anyone who may be looking at buying a van, I hope that that is testimony enough for you.  We are Toyota and Honda people anyway, but the fact that we spent just a little more on our van either saved our lives or saved us a huge hospital bill.  Either way, we're thankful.

When we got home and had the kids in bed, Ben and I had an interesting conversation that started with Ben saying, "Heather, you're going to be really mad at me but..."  At that point, my ears perked right up.  He explained that Elder Eyring had said in General Conference that one of the best things you can do is to pray for trials.  So he had.  Whoops.  :)  Then I said, "Well Ben... you're going to be mad at me too."  I told him how about a month ago I had promised the Lord that if anyone did anything to me that I would forgive them right away.

Well dang.

Ben has a sprained wrist and burns from the air bags.  I have whiplash and some other pulled muscles.  The kids are fine other than the small burns that Lily and Skyler have on their necks from their seat belts.  All in all, we're fine. 

The accident brought some new thoughts into my head.  One of them was that we could have easily died.  We obviously still have work to do here.  Another was that in an experience like that, all I wanted was to have my family close.  Money and other temporal things don't matter.  When I had to pretend that everything was fine but I needed comforting, too, I found it in giving my kids comfort.  And last, I wasn't scared of death.  I didn't feel regret or even fear with the thought of dying.  That fact alone makes me feel like maybe I'm not totally messing up everything.  Maybe I'm doing something right.

I will thank Heavenly Father for the millionth time tonight that we are all safe and sound.  But Ben and I may possibly be going on a temporary "ask for trials" hiatus.  :)

A Little Bit of Life

 I've never posted pictures of the kids at my parents' house since we've lived with them.  But it's a fairly regular thing for us to go over and play for the day.  They have a whole different set of toy and games, plus there's always the chance that we'll go out to "chick-a-lay" for lunch (which is pretty much what my kids live for).

 

 Lil's Tinker Bell fairies.

 

 Blocks.  Lizzie and Becca -- remember these?

 

 This picture was not hard to capture at all.  This happens a bajillion times a day.  Lily loves to snuggle Ella, and Ella loves it too.  Although I'd be lying if I didn't mention that Ben and I have used the word, "smother" and the phrase "literally love to death" a few times.  Needless to say, we keep an eye on them, and more often than not, tell Lily to give her baby sister some space. 

 

 The beloved bunny slippers.

 

 Skyler's very in touch with his feminine side.  Instead of playing with princesses and littlest pet shop animals, later he was playing with toy lions and dinosaurs in the castle.  And he told me it was a temple.  Pretty sure that makes no sense.

 

 Have I ever mentioned that I love Ben's new job?  Yeah.  I do.  And he does, too.  He has worked from home the last 8 out of 10 workdays.  And sometimes he'll hold Ella while he's working if I'm busy doing calling stuff or cooking or whatever.  One of the reasons why we chose this job was so that we could see him more.  And that is worth more than any paycheck.

 

 Before this job, we rarely took the kids out on dates (as in one parent and one child).  But with Ben working oftentimes from home, we do it regularly.  It's a good investment for family happiness.  This was Lily and Ben yesterday before their date.  Lily told me that she wanted to look pretty for her date (AAAAAWWWW!!!!) and so I let her choose the most horrible outfit her own outfit and we put a vest on her so that she'd "be warm."  I did her hair and (as usual) as soon as I was done she ran up to Ben to show him how pretty she looked.  I'm going to miss it when these days are gone.

 

And here's Angel Baby.  She's been sleeping through the night for close to a month now. And by sleeping through the night I mean anything from 8-12 hours at a whack, and she taught herself how. She hardly cries.  She has such a strong sweet spirit.  I can't explain it, but this little girl just has sweetness glowing from her.  Mmmmm.  I'm glad we got her.

2012 Election

I try to keep my political opinions to myself considering how dang annoying it is to listen to anyone's complaining (regardless of party).  I don't enjoy listening to bashing and I'm sure no one would enjoy listening to me bash.  But, this is a very historical election and since this is my blog and I still have the freedom of speech, I'm sharing my own opinion.  Feel free not to read.  I won't be offended.  :)

I am thankful for the opportunity I have to live in a country where the peoples' voices are heard because far too many in the world don't have that privilege.  I won't keep it secret that I voted for Mitt Romney.  It wasn't even a difficult choice for me.  And no, it's not because I'm LDS and he's LDS.  It's because he had a plan that I agreed with (plus a pretty impressive resume) and, to be honest, I think Obama is pretty horrible.  I think he likes to say nice things while moving people by speech, and then do his own thing (or just plays golf).  But despite my opinion, it is just my opinion.  I am grateful that people actually went out to vote and did their civic duty, even if my own vote didn't really matter. 

When I got on facebook this morning and it was filled with people talking about having food storage and ammo, I have to admit that I was thinking the exact same thing.  Do I think that Obama equals the end of the world?  Probably not.  But I think it's a definite step toward it.  We know that we need a year supply of food anyway, so even if this isn't the reason why, hopefully it gets people to actually become more motivated to follow this important counsel. 

One of my biggest concerns is Obamacare.  It worries me that some people think it's such a blessing.  Listen, Ben and I have been without insurance for years and we survived.  I'm grateful to be able to afford real insurance now.  It really is a blessing in case anything crazy happens to someone in our family.

Another one of my concerns is how we will stand in the world.  How can we defend innocent countries properly if our military shrinks and we get rid of our nukes?  America has a HUGE role to play in world politics and I feel like we just flushed the hopes of many non-Americans down the drain.  It's understandable that a country worries about itself, but I wish that others would have thought about those who depend on our strength.

Despite my disappointment and the fact that I literally got sick to my stomach today out of fear, my only comfort is the gospel.  I am more grateful than ever to have a consistent eternal knowledge of the real truth.  I have been reading the Old Testament nightly and one thing that has opened my eyes is when I read about the long line of evil rulers who rule one generation and the next evil ruler rules the next generation.  I am thankful that I don't have to hand my entire lifetime over to one ruler.  I am thankful that every four years we get a vote, and that no one can win all the time, because wouldn't we all just love that?  I am thankful for church leaders who can direct us where we need to go.  I am thankful for the Holy Ghost and that we can be individually guided.  I am thankful that this life is just a speck in the eternal timeline and that someday our current struggles won't be struggles. 

So this Thanksgiving, I really will be celebrating our country and all that we have to be thankful for.  I'm happy for my liberal friends while I hold onto my own opinions and worry a little.  Despite my worries, I realize that our country is a far better place to live than most.  I'm grateful that I don't have to worry about my children's safety on a daily basis and that I don't have to worry about having the basics like food and shelter.  Hurricane Sandy really reinforced my opinion of what's truly important in life. 

Yesterday, on Election Day, I fasted.  I knew it was a tight race and that either side could win, so I fasted that the Lord's will be done and that I would be able to accept who won.  I will pray for Obama even if I don't agree with all he does. 

On a side note, Ben and I did figure that it would take 65 gallons of gas to get our van to Jackson County should we go by car.  Just saying.....  :)

God bless America.