Last Weekend

This weekend we took a trip to El Paso, Texas for the marriage of my sister Amanda to David Munoz.


It was a great trip and a great thing to see my sister get married. She is so happy and her wedding was unique and beautiful.

My parents and ALL of my siblings together--a rare thing indeed.


Aunt Kerami (my sister) dancing with Dallin and his cousins Iris, Madeline, and Savannah.


Dallin pinning a dollar on Amanda for the dollar dance.


Here is a photo of Adam's short appearance at the wedding reception. There is a long story here, in which Mark is the hero, but I will leave it to Mark to tell since he deserves to tell it--blood, vomit, poop, and all. At the end of the day at least there were some great wedding nachos for Adam to enjoy.



Our family and my sister Dawn's family got connecting rooms at the hotel and enjoyed bouncing from one room to the other while the kids played together. I loved seeing my kids playing with their cousins, especially their older cousins. Jack and Wyatt are 10 and 12 and yet they still had a fun time playing with my two and four year olds. There is something heart-warming about that.


On the way home we stopped by my Aunt and Uncle, Lisa and Jason's farm in New Mexico. They had a large greenhouse with tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries. The tomatoes grow around a wire that is connected to the ceiling.
I thought the cherry tomatoes were especially cool. Notice how neat they grow in two nice rows and how they ripen from the top, fading from a ripe red to a bright green.

The small greenhouse grows mainly lettuce, cabbage, and spices. Notice how these styrofoam pots stack to the heavens around a pole and the plants peak out the exposed triangles.

The Table is Set

Thursday, December 4th.


Mark comes home in the evening and is wondering what is going on. Ribs? And not the cheap kind? The good kind that we've never ever bought before? Something must be up.

The menu:

Parmesan potatoes

Carrots

Spinach salad with poppyseed dressing

BBQ ribs

Throughout the course of the meal I take the opportunity to announce each portion of the meal. Interspersed with our evening commentary of "How was your day?" and "You fired another temp?" were questions and phrases somewhat like this:

Marily: Do you want some baby potatoes, Adam?

Marily: Look, Dallin, baby carrots.

Mark: Wow, we have a few baby things for dinner tonight.

Marily: Dallin, did you know that's baby spinach in that salad?

Mark: Is it really baby spinach?

Dallin: Can I have some more chicken?

Marily: Sure, but it's not chicken. They're baby back ribs.

And then he gets it. Or at least Mark gets it. And he laughs. And still we get through that whole announcement dinner without even clueing in the little guys as to what was going on. Dallin might not have even cared at that point. He was too busy enjoying his chicken.

'Tis the Season

Here are our pictures that are very similar to your pictures that many of you have already posted. Different kids though.

Our simple tree. And I prefer kids decorating trees in pajamas. Better photo opportunities.

Adam preferred the grouping technique for decorating the tree's limbs.

He would carefully place another bulb on the same one or two branches and then smile wide and do a little happy dance that he managed to get another one on without knocking the others off. It reminded me of a game like Jenga or Don't Break the Ice.

These two photos are from the Christmas party at church. Somehow I missed taking my own picture of Adam with Santa. I think it was because I was trying to take Adam's sucker away for the photographer to take a picture.

The morning before the activity I kept asking Dallin what he was going to ask Santa for--a mom's got to know these things. He'd simply whisper, "It's a secret." I was worried that I would have to ask Santa himself, but fortunately I caught Dallin as he was running off after sitting with Santa to ask him what he asked for. "Airplane roller coaster" was his whispered reply before he ran away.

Christmas crafting

So what's a mom to do when she actually planned ahead this year and already bought her kids gifts and how was she suppose to know that if you leave Target ads lying around the house your kid is bound to come up with something to ask for that is NOT what was already purchased? Really, I need some advice. Mark could care less whether Dallin got what he asked for. Me, I'm feeling a little guilty for not buying this:

Our Joy School and a couple of extra two-year-olds (mine included) went to a care facility and sang and performed a reenactment of the nativity for a few ladies there. Dallin's the one with the crown over his eyes in both pictures. My kids were two wise men (hopefully reminiscent of things to come).

How's that for spreading some Christmas joy?

What's on my camera that I can turn into a Thankful Post?

26. Children. I love the innocence and utter cuteness of youth. These little guys of mine fill my life with joy. A while back I was reading "Touch and Feel Kittens" with Adam. There were two kittens on a particular page we were reading. Adam pointed to the larger of the two and said, "Momma cat." Then he pointed to the smaller cat and said, "Adam cat." Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I pretty much think that is his way of saying he loves me.

27. Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving--it's one of the few big holidays I can think of that is completely innocent and non-commercialized. It's all about spending time eating good food with the people you love and of course being grateful. Sweet.

Our friends the Jennings hosted a Thanksgiving Day parade in their neighborhood and were kind enough to invite us along.

Makes you wish you had a neighborhood like that? Well, I suppose you can if you host your own Thanksgiving Day parade.

28. My husband. Man, I sure did a good job when I chose to marry Mark. How could I have known then that he was even greater than I thought he was? Good thing I didn't mess that one up. He is an example to me of hard work and dedication. He is supportive of me and my goals and interests. He is a loving dad who makes sure to enjoy his children and give them the attention and love that they need. And he does the dishes. And he rubs my shoulders whenever I ask him to. Wow.


Dallin took this picture. And I bet you wouldn't have been able to help yourself either. "Daddy, say CHEESE!"

29. Life. I am grateful to be alive. I am grateful for the joyful moments that add depth to my life.

30. Work. I am thankful for work and the ability to work. It's satisfying to finish a hard job and see the results of your labor. Today we got in the car and this sense of peace and satisfaction came over me....We'd cleaned the car out yesterday. Complete with a thorough vacuuming and scrubbing the upholstery. Nice.

Gotta love how Dallin is posing for a glamour shot while wedged down in there.

I am also thankful that Mark has a good job and is able to provide for our family. He works hard. Lately it is not uncommon for me to wake up with the boys in the wee hours of the morning an hour before the sun has come up and Mark has already left for work. I am also thankful that his friend Coy who has been working off and on at his office will be back "on" tomorrow. Mark is grateful when Coy is at work with him. And that makes for a happier husband.

Thankful Day Twenty-Five: Color

I am grateful that there are so many various things in this beautiful world to enjoy. For instance, there are an innumerable amount of colors, no purpose for them at all, except for our viewing pleasure. Wasn't that nice? Well, maybe street signs and stuff are another good purpose for color. And certain animals that have colors to warn you they're poisionous. Another good one.

Pictures.

1)Boys painting fish

2) Dallin learned about mixing colors today.

I'm Thankful For Lists

18. I'm thankful for the simple things in life. My boys playing in the dirt. Clean water to wash them off in. Commercialism and batteries are overrated.

19. A wise and all-knowing Father in Heaven. In college, he led me towards a degree in mathematics. Who would have thought? And because of that, my brain is wired differently than it was years ago. And now instead of being so extremely and solely right-brained I've got my left brain working now too. Cool, huh? But don't ask me to prove it because I might not be able to on the spot like that--too much pressure.

20. Goals. I am a goal-oriented person. I have learned that I can do amazing things (YOU can too!) if I write it down and stick to a goal. Mark and I have this paper stuck to the inside of our bathroom door. (What? Did you really want to actually read them?)We reevaluate our goals every six months. It has been awesome to decide together on an area that needed improvement. We set a goal and then six months later we are so proud that we have accomplished it--some of them aren't quite so easy. But it really seems like we are improving. Cool, huh?

21. Scriptures. Probably about a year ago in one of our goal-evaluations Mark and I decided that Dallin was old enough and it was high-time we started involving him in our family scripture studies. We decided every night he'd get to hear a "scripture hero" story (Dallin's words) or we'd read straight from the scriptures. He loves these stories, and why not? I love them too.

22. In-laws. I am SO grateful that I married into such an amazing family. My mother-in-law has taught me so much and I am grateful for her example of a welcoming home, a devoted service-oriented attitude, and the simple way she lives and loves her family. My father-in-law is always interested in learning new things and he is such a sweet man--caring, kind, and full of love--and I am sure that is a major reason why Mark is as caring and compassionate as he is. Mark's siblings are of course also awesome and I am so grateful that they have welcomed me with open arms and made me one of them. Look, Courtney and Stacey even took the boys to the Veteran's Day parade. What cool aunts. Girls, next time get some pictures of yourselves-- the best I have is a few shots of Courtney's hair. And thanks for taking them--the boys had a great time. I'm thankful they have such awesome aunts and uncles.

I can count Courtney's hair in four pictures. Can you?

23. A home. I am grateful that we have a home of our own. We don't live luxuriously but we have what we need and even things that many would consider luxuries. And now that we own our home we can do with it what we want. We like having some blank walls right now because it seems uncluttered and simple. That's the way life should be, isn't it?

24. Cousins. I am grateful that my boys have cousins. They had a new one just a couple of weeks ago. Heidi Louise Lamoreaux was born on Nov 11th. This is up there as one of the cutest pictures I've ever seen. My sister Bethany, Daniel, and Heidi in case you're wondering.

And that pretty much catches me up and also gets me a day ahead. Go me.

Thankful Day Seventeen: Sacrifice

I have not had to sacrifice much in my life. A large part of the blessings I have come because OTHERS have sacrificed for me. I am spoiled. Here is a story from President Uchtdorf's recent talk in General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

The Example of John Rowe Moyle
This year marks the 200th
anniversary of the birth of John Rowe Moyle. John was a convert to the Church
who left his home in England and traveled to the Salt Lake Valley as part of a
handcart company. He built a home for his family in a small town a valley away
from Salt Lake City. John was an accomplished stonecutter and, because of this
skill, was asked to work on the Salt Lake Temple.

Every Monday John left home at two o’clock in the morning and walked
six hours in order to be at his post on time. On Friday he would leave his work
at five o’clock in the evening and walk almost until midnight before arriving
home. He did this year after year.

One day, while he was doing his chores at home, a cow kicked him in the
leg, causing a compound fracture. With limited medical resources, the only
option was to amputate the broken leg. So John’s family and friends strapped him
onto a door and, with a bucksaw, cut off his leg a few inches from the knee.

In spite of the crude surgery, the leg started to heal. Once John could sit
up in bed, he began carving a wooden leg with an ingenious joint that served as
an ankle to an artificial foot. Walking on this device was extremely painful,
but John did not give up, building up his endurance until he could make the
22-mile (35-km) journey to the Salt Lake Temple each week, where he continued
his work.

His hands carved the words “Holiness to the Lord” that stand today as a
golden marker to all who visit the Salt Lake Temple.5
John did not do this for the praise of man. Neither did he shirk his duty,
even though he had every reason to do so. He knew what the Lord expected him to
do.

Years later, John’s grandson Henry D. Moyle was called as a member of the
Quorum of the Twelve and, eventually, served in the First Presidency of the
Church. President Moyle’s service in these callings was honorable, but his
grandfather John’s service, though somewhat less public, is just as pleasing to
the Lord. John’s character, his legacy of sacrifice, serves as a banner of
faithfulness and an ensign of duty to his family and to the Church.

I am grateful for those of my faith who sacrificed for those who followed after them. I am also similarly grateful for those who sacrificied for the freedoms of this country.