Sunday, September 28, 2008

Follow the Prophet...

General Relief Society Meeting
Saturday, September 27, 2008
We all rose as the prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, entered the conference center. My heart was pounding as the spirit testified to me that he is THE true and living prophet on the earth today.
SO MANY great things were said. I wanted to share one...
When President Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke he quoted the following:

"Those who bring sunshine to the life of others cannot keep it from
themselves"
-J.M. Barrie
author of Peter Pan

The meeting was great. The company fabulous. The conversation fun. The food tasty. The evening late. The experience completely worth it!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

There's nothing like it...

Everytime one of the kids draws a picture or brings an art project home from school, I can't help but smile...there's nothing like it!


Because of Aspbergers, Ben's verbal skills don't always cooperate. He LOVES to draw and spell words. When he won't talk to us, we ask him to draw a picture on his drawing box (his best friend, the magnadoodle). We are always amazed at how well he communicates through pictures.



Pictures courtesy of Rachel, Elli and Ben

Sunday, September 21, 2008

My favorite time of the day...

In church today, a friend, Becky, gave a talk about families. She referred to memories of nightly family dinners around the table...it got me thinking.

Alex gets home from work everyday at 6:00 pm. Preparation for his arrival various from 2 hours to 5 minutes. That time often includes looking in the pantry, fridge or freezer hunting for the simplest dinner option, the kids tellling me they are hungry (over and over again), piano practice, homework, tv watching, setting the table, etc. By the time we sit down for dinner, I'm not feeling so perky...in fact, quite the opposite. Thankfully, Alex never complains.
Conversation at the table usually consists of:
"sit up while you are eating...that's a chair not a bed"
"eat with your mouth closed...we don't want to see your food"
"don't eat with your hands...use your fork"
"I hope you don't act like this at school"
"If you don't sit on your chair, you'll have to eat in the pantry"
"that's very nice, now eat your food"
"worry about yourself"
"don't eat like animals"
"if you don't eat your dinner, don't complain later that you are starving"
"eat your vegetables"

Every once and awhile I get a compliment about dinner, we don't feel rushed, we talk about what makes us happy and
we laugh.
It's the one time, everyday, that we are together.

I realized today that...
Dinner time is my favorite time of day.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Finding joy...

I could see the kids playing from afar. They had been playing on the make shift sand pile for almost an hour and I wondered what could keep them content for so long...so I ventured over. I discovered rocks, twigs, a few plastic cookie cutters, a bent piece of rebar and three imaginations keeping their attention. I wanted to capture the moment to remind me how simple it can be to find joy in life.



Monday, September 15, 2008

Sunrise, Sunset...

The wildfires in this area have produced some spectacular sunsets. This particular night the sky was breathtaking. It's in these moments that I am reminded that there is a God...a loving Heavenly Father.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The man I married...

He's a little grumpy, fiercely independent and doesn't like me to call him Brother Roylance...but, I like him, I really like him. He makes me laugh and let's me be me. Couldn't imagine life without him.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Rock Lobster...

It was a birthday celebration for Uncle Boo...
rock lobster style!
A lobster headstand

When they first took the lobster out of the tank at Red Lobster the kids were a little apprehensive... especially Ben! They quickly warmed up to the crustacean and even wanted a turn holding it. Rachel said it felt like holding a heavy, wet rock.
Ben isn't convinced yet!



The birthday boy, Andy (a.k.a Uncle Boo) and his wife, Danna.


It's always a fun spending time with grandparents!
left: Grandpa Alan (Alex's dad) and Grandma Melanie
right: Grandma Venita (Alex's mom) and Elli Belle