Christmas thoughts

Christmas was wonderful again this year. With Katie home, we were all together again. Camia asked me if Christmas was over since the presents were all opened. Of course, I said that Christmas lasts for a long time even without presents. It was one of those "Mom answers", but I truly want it to be so.
As I wait up for Katie to get home from an evening out with friends, I find myself thinking of Christmases when I was young. They were so magical. The twinkly lights on the tree were especially beautiful when I squinted my eyes. There was plenty of time for homemade candy, caroling at the retirement home, going with mom and dad to deliver goodies to the neighbors, and being at home. This year, I barely got some fudge made, and it was Christmas Eve. We didn't even get all the Christmas movies watched this year before Christmas. I did not even send out one Christmas card. Sometimes I wish I could rewind time, edit out the things that were not that important, and have more time for the things that are. But, what would I take out? Not the school Christmas program where Camia was Mary and Baylor was Joseph, (and I really did enjoy playing the piano for the kids to sing to.) Not the ballgames that I got to watch as Spencer and Rebecca played. Not helping at the school after the fire in the boiler room filled the school with black smoke. Really, living life sometimes means that things don't happen just the way I want them to, but realizing that the Lord is mindful of me and my family makes life worth living.
It seems that time is fleeting now. It is running faster and faster all the time. As the days speed by, I feel a sense of urgency to prepare myself and my family in all things possible. Have I taught our older children what they need to know about the gospel and life? Have I used my time wisely and learned and grown as should have? Have I really taken the time to let my family and friends know how much I truly love and appreciate them?
I feel that I have a million thoughts in my mind tonight. As I prepare to begin the new year, I need to recommit to studying my scriptures daily and serving my family better. As we strive to have family prayer, family home evening,and family scripture study, I get frustrated when everyone is so busy, that these things often get sacrificed. I pray that the Lord will help us do these things more regurlarly, because I know they do make a difference in our home when we do them.
Well, Katie made it home, and it is much too late to be awake. Good night.

Halloween... not my favorite holiday

Is it possible to be a scrooge for halloween? I don't get very excited about this holiday. I love the fall decorations with all my heart, so I concentrate on that and kind of hope Halloween passes by with yummy candy and not much else. I must confess, however, that I used the Halloween holiday to make pumpkin waffles this morning. We are going to the carnival at the church tonight followed by trunk or treating. That in itself is way better than driving all over carnation to trick or treat in the cold. I remember Mom driving Julie, Jan and I to Monteview while we were in highschool so we could T.P. some favorite people's houses. She was such a great sport. What happened to me?
I have been in the craziest mood lately to build, change, and upgrade cheaply. It consumes me sometimes and I have to pray for moderation in all things so my sweetie, family, and home don't get ignored. Warm meals are a good thing sometimes. Von has gotten me a few tools that I am itching to use. I almost have Rebecca's bathroom finished. Just need to touch up a bit of paint, and tile the shower step. I need to sand, paint, and attach the doors for the murphy bed cabinet in the guest room, then that project will be done. I am going to paint the countertop I put in the guest room for my sewing table. It runs the length of the window wall and some of the south wall. I lowered the areas for the sewing machine and serger so I can sew at counter level. So far, I love it. Hopefully, the painted countertop will be great, and I might think of painting my kitchen counters. I may be out of my mind, but I am so up for a challenge.
I also want to put beadboard around the three sides of my kitchen island and paint the whole island black with two chunky legs at the corners where the bar extends. I think it would be beautiful. I am afraid Von thinks I have lost my marbles. Anyway, I might post some pics if things turn out well.
Well, off to finish my costume so I can work on my projects. That is my driving force these days.
Kind of strange, I know.

Sweet moments

Sunday, after a wonderful day at church, we came home and I started making lunch. Rebecca was playing "Come Thou Fount" on the piano, which she does a lot. Then, I noticed Camia and Baylor were singing "their" words to the song as she played. Rebecca started teaching them the real words to the song, and it was the most amazing thing. After a bit, she decided to draw pictures to remind them of the words like we do in primary singing time sometimes. By the time dinner was ready, and Von walked through the door, the little ones had the song learned. Not only is that one of my favorite songs, but hearing the kids sing it in their sweet voices was so beautiful to me. I had tears in my eyes as I thought of how wonderful it was of Rebecca to work with the kids. The spirit was so sweet here. My heart was filled with gratitude for the wonderful children we have been blessed with. Children's voices singing songs of the gospel is always beautiful to me, but today, in our home, I cherished this special moment. My heart was so happy. Now, the kids sing that song as they are playing, or walking around, or riding in the van. It is a testimony to me that if we will fill our minds with good things, that is what we think about. The more we want to be like the Savior, the more we need to learn of him, and fill our mind with scriptures, stories, songs and thoughts of him. I have been trying to memorize the "The Living Christ", and I find that it runs through my mind a lot. The more I think of Jesus Christ, the more grateful I am for what he has done and continues to do for me. What a blessing it is to be a member of His church.

Give me strength...

As I contemplate this day, I am a bit overwhelmed at what I need to accomplish. Rebecca has a volleyball tournament in Challis today, which I am excited to go watch, and I am grateful that I get to. I love to watch our kids play sports. I loved watching Katie play volleyball because it was not easy for her, so as she improved, I was so very proud of her. Spencer is great to watch playing basketball, and Rebecca is doing great with volleyball. It makes me so grateful for the talents we have all been blessed with.
I also think of the mounds of stuff I need to do. I told Von that I could really use a day at home today. Here is my small to do list:
can the pears, chop and freeze the onions from the garden, slice and freeze the carrots from the garden, wash laundry that is up to my ears, take out the garbage that is even taller than that and overflowing, do the dishes, finish painting Spencer's room, put away canned fruit, clean the basement (fell apart during painting project), kill my wife and frame Gilder for it (Princess Bride), and find some time for a nap. Whew. Oh, and I can't forget to kiss my sweetheart and thank him for all his hard work and support. He keeps me grounded as he reminds me to tackle one project at a time. I love him. I also need to spend time with each of our kids and read their facebook so I know what is going on in their lives. : ) Ok, on with the day. I CAN do this.

New name.....

I am loving the blog name suggestions. Here are some we have received: Bean Sprouts, 7 Bean Dip, Beans the magical fruit, and I can't remember the other one. So funny!

New blog name?

We need to rename our blog. Now it needs to be something like: Life as a Green Bean, or these are the days of our lives, or veggie tales, or Beans happenings, or the beanie bunch. Any suggestions?

Fall is in the air

Wow. The air was so fresh and crisp this morning. What a beautiful Sunday morning. These fall days make me want to make pumpkin desserts. I have several, so I hope Natalie and William are going to help us eat them.

Church was so good today. Rebecca was the youth speaker, and she did a great job. She talked about having the Holy Ghost with us. She shared a story about the time Grandpa Bean died. She was going to be baptized on her birthday and have both grandpas as the witnesses. Grandpa Bean passed away a few hours before her scheduled baptism, so it was postponed. Later, when the baptism date arrived, Becca was feeling bad that Grandpa Bean would not be there. During the baptism, the Spirit let her know that he was there with her, and she was comforted by that. I hope she has written down this experience.

My mom has started to write her spiritual personal experiences down in a notebook so she can look back at the many times her prayers have been answered, or she has been comforted, or helped in any way. I love this idea.

Rebecca's photo?

Here I am trying to be all bloggy, and Rebecca won't agree to any photos of herself. I have been patient up until now, but really.

Von was able to give the kids their back to school blessings the other night. It was so sweet. I think Camia and Baylor were given blessings last year at school time just because the other kids got them, but this year, it seemed extra special. Rebecca and Spencer received their blessings first, then Camia and Baylor. Camia sat so still with her eyes closed. She seemed to be concentrating on what Von was saying. Then, during Baylor's turn, after a few wiggles, he kept his eyes closed and folded his arms for the rest of his blessing. He has never done either of those things for that long before. Von told him in his blessing that soon he would have ears that worked, and he would be able to hear like everyone else. Baylor listened to every word. I truly felt that the Holy Ghost was speaking right to Baylor's heart, and Baylor was intently listening. The sweetest spirit was with us during those blessings. The kids all hugged their dad afterwards, and I cried. ( I was not the only one either.) How grateful I am for the priesthood in our home. There have been countless times Von has been able to comfort, heal, and bless us with peace with the priesthood he holds.

Speaking of Baylor, I took him to Dr. Morales, a plastic surgeon, to have a consult about Baylor's ears. The doctor was wonderful. He spoke to Baylor a lot, and told me he will do surgery to reconstruct the ears when Baylor is 7 years old. Other surgeons I have spoken to like to operate when the patient is about 5. Dr. Morales said that at age 7, the patient is more compliant and able to understand what is going on. That made me feel so relieved. I have been worrying a bit about how Baylor would handle the first two surgeries which are the most painful. The doctor harvests rib cartilage to form the ear shape, then I think that is slid under the skin at the ear site and over a few more surgeries, the ear and skin are lifted from the head. This gives the ears a vascular system of their own. The other thing the dr. mentioned, was that age 5, the ears will be made smaller and not grow much as the child grows. This way, the ears will be a bit bigger, and look more normal when Baylor is older. The Lord truly is mindful or our worries, and is always there to comfort and strengthen us.

We have been watching the camcorder movies we took of Camia and Baylor in China, and at home. Wow. How could I forget so much. It made me want to go back to China again tomorrow and bring another cutie home. It is a good thing Von is more sensible than me. So, here are a few pics of the kids when they were little. So cute!

Where to begin...

Honestly, I don't know where the time went. Camia has been with us for over 4 years, and Baylor has been with us for over 3 years. It has been a whirlwind to say the least, but what a blessing and an adventure. Camia and Baylor had an interesting adjusting period. It involved Camia not wanting Baylor to have her stuff or be in her face, which led to squealing, and Baylor wanting to check it all out and not understanding a word of anything. We were able to get him a baha (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid) quite soon after we returned home from China. It is a small box attached to a headband. The box vibrates from sound and sends the vibrations into the middle ear and brain through the skull. It is able to bypass the ear canals, which Baylor does not have. It was a miracle from the start. We could tell he could hear quiet sounds as well as loud sounds. It took several months for Baylor to process the sounds he heard, then he started mimicking Camia in sounds as well as behavior. We had a speech therapist come once a week to help with speech sounds. We also used sign language a bit at first. Baylor was amazing, and Camia was the best role model ever. So, there we were, two little bits in diapers, reaking havoc and making our family complete. It was wonderful. Katie, Spencer, Rebecca, and Von were life savers. They jumped in and we all were able to bond and survive. (Survive may be too strong of a word, but some days felt like that.)
So, here we are, several years and many wonderful memories later, and I keep thinking, I have not had time to write in a journal or document very much of our crazy life since "the twins." (They are only 6 months apart.) Camia is 5 years old now and Baylor is 4 1/2 years old. Camia started kindergarten this week, going two full days, and Baylor goes to pre-school two mornings a week. It has come so quickly. I found myself looking forward to this time in my life just a bit, and now that it is here, I am a bit sad. I am feeling needed less and less as our children grow and learn all that we hoped they would. I wouldn't have it any other way, but it makes me wonder what the next phase of life will be like.
Katie is in her second year of college at Utah State University. She went there with a 4-year full ride scholarship, and her first year she got straight A's. We are all so proud of her. She has always amazed me with her abilities in school and life in general. We get to have her home once in a while, and I treasure every minute with her.

Spencer is a senior this year. At the end of basketball season last year, Spence tore his ACL. He had surgery on it in March, and he has been healing since. He is so excited to play basketball this year. The doctor gave him the ok to play, so life is good. He has been a trooper. Spencer is so fun to be around. He has a fun personality, and people, girls especially, gravitate to him. He has a great responsibility to set a good example for them. We talk about this often. He is also planning to go to one year of college at USU before his mission.

Miss Rebecca has been one that has to keep up with Spencer, whether it is riding motorbikes, playing basketball, or winning at card games. She is a hoot. She gets along so well with kids of any age. What a nut she is. She is so adventurous and fun.

Camia is a smarty pants. She is really into organization, cleaning, and helping. She knows instinctively how to help and loves to do so. She has about 50 million dimples. OK, maybe 4 on her cheeks. What a beautiful girl. Von and I could watch her all day long. She is an early riser, which is not always great.
Baylor is so full of life and mischief, and tease, tease, tease. He is quick

to laugh, and loves to play. He is so lovey and makes us laugh always. What a sweet, sometimes naughty boy.
Ok, I will be done with this long post.