Pictures to Accompany the Thanksgiving Post

After posting my Thanksgiving ABCs, I realized I had taken some pictures to go along with it, but looking back, I'm not sure where to put them.  They don't really go along with the ABCs (I need pictures for everything, and maybe I'll do that later), but they are part of the holiday, so I'm just adding them on here.

On Wednesday afternoon, Mom, Mikayla, and I made 15 pies:

five each of pecan, pumpkin, and apple.

We did it all in just over an hour and a half, 

working out to one pie every six to seven minutes.

That's pretty good.

This is a picture of the roasted vegetable I contributed to dinner.

There is broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, purple potatoes, parsnips, and beets.

They were delicious!

And the beautiful cut glass bowl was my great-grandmother's, Irene Sbarbora.

The cousins settling in to eat.

Clockwise from the top: Blake, Collin, Makenna, Blythe, Brandt, and Luke

  

 It was a beautiful day, just over 50 degrees.

These are the girls out talking and playing something electric in the late afternoon sun.

It was certainly nice to be able to be outside.

An ABC Thanksgiving

On Monday for family home evening, we read a short story from The Friend called "We Are to Thank God in All Things."  On the page next to the story was a fun activity where we could list a blessing for every letter of the alphabet.  We all took turns sharing things we were thankful, and though we didn't finish, I thought it would be a fun blog post.  I am certainly thankful for lots of things, and here they are.  In alphabetical order.

A  Apples, Art, the Atonement, and Aging gracefully (at least, I think I'm aging gracefully)

B  Brandt, Blythe, Bread, my Bike, Books, Bed, Body, and this Blog

C  Cheese, Christmas, Creme brulee, Canoeing, Car, and since I'm to be thankful in all things--Challenges and the things they teach me

D  Dad (even though he is included in the first E thing too; I miss him.) and Donuts

E  Eternal Extended families (by which I mean our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents on both sides of our family, those who are here now and those who have gone before, and new additions like Brick and Rowen who was born on Monday), Exercise, and Energy to do everything I want and need to do

F  Friends (we really have a terrific network of friends we can call upon any time we are in need--of help or of someone to play with), Five senses, Food (I'm not really very biased, I just love the whole category), Feet, and Floss

G  Gospel, Games

H  Home, Holy Ghost

I  Ice cream, Internet

J  Jesus (I was having a hard time thinking of J things and sort of listed juice, jammies, and jerky before I had one of those 'duh' moments with Jesus.  I supposed I am thankful for juice and jammies too.)  Juice, Jammies

K  Kent

L  Laughing, Lotion, Light, and (again in the vein of being thankful in all things) Laundry (because it means guilt-free TV watching.)

M  Music, My Mission

N  Nature, Neighbors

O  Outings, Order (when things are neat and tidy), Opportunities, and my generally positive Outlook on life

P  Primary, Prayer, Priesthood, Playing Piano, Pie, Popcorn

Q  Quilts on cold nights

R  Reading with the children, Rainstorms, Religion

S  Singing, Slippers, School, Service, Sunsets, Scriptures, Swimming, Seasons, Sleep

T  Temple, Travel, Trees

U  Unanimity with my husband (when we've got it), and Umbrellas (for those rainstorms, though I like being out in the rain without an umbrella because we don't get a lot of rain here.  U is a tough letter because there aren't a lot of things that start with it.)

V  Vacuum (to help with the order at letter O), Visiting teaching, Vaccinations, Veggies

W  Work, Walks, Water, and the Washing machine

X  (In an act of desperation I went to the dictionary to look up X words.  'Perhaps,' thought I, 'I will find an X something to be grateful for.  Turns out there are only two and a half pages of X words, and of those, really Xylophone is the only X word anyone would use--ever.  But as I am to be thankful in all things, here goes.)
Xylophones (I do want to learn how to play one), X-Rays (I have had a broken leg, and I was grateful to the x-ray that showed where it was broken), and Xeroxs

Y  Yard (which is shaping up nicely, though it still needs work), Yeast (which makes bread--see B--possible)

Z  Zippers and Zebras (which should really be a representation of animals in general)

And so there it is, a Thanksgiving ABC.  We are truly, remarkably, wonderfully blessed and I try to recognize all we have not just this day, but always.

Lying

Yesterday in church, Blythe leaned over to me and asked, "Mom, why can't we see Santa?"

"Santa comes to our houses when we are asleep, and that's why we don't see him," I replied.

"Why does he come at night when we are asleep?" she asked.

I took a moment and then said, "Santa is too busy to come during the day.  He has lots and lots of deliveries to make on Christmas Eve.  He has to take presents all over, and if he came during the day, we would want to talk to him.  We would give him a big hug and tell him how much we loved him and how excited we were to get the present he was giving us, and he would never get everything done.  So he comes at night, when we are asleep, so he doesn't have to talk to us and can make all his deliveries."

"Oh," she said, thoughtful look on her face.  "Okay."

She was satisfied, and I was not.  I had just told a bald-faced lie, right there in church, during sacrament meeting.  I continue to perpetuate this story, letting my children continue to believe in Santa Claus.  When I confessed to Kent last night in bed, he didn't seem too concerned.  The untruth spoken was not meant to deceive for harm or to get ahead, but to nurture a wonderful childhood experience.  The anticipation of Santa is so magical, his kindness so great, and his teaching of giving being more important than receiving is all valuable, so I can continue to tell it crooked until one or the other of the kids demands the straight story.

When, at the tender age of eight, I finally asked my mom for the real truth, I was devastated emotionally.  I believed.  She was so tender, however, and reminded me that the Santa spirit can be part of our lives whatever our age and circumstances, and throughout the year.  We can give and serve and love, and the magic of Santa can be in our hearts always.  I still believe in that, and that's no lie.

Friday Morning Laundry Helper

Look who was hanging around the laundry room with me this morning.

I needed to move wet clothes from the washer to the dryer,

and Brick did not want to be alone in the family room.

So here is my solution.

I would have liked his help sorting.

This picture pretty much sums up this boy--

always happy with a ready smile.

I think he wanted to be in this basket instead of the one he was in.

  

I enjoy having Brick here with me the two mornings he comes over.

He is pleasant company, even though he doesn't say much yet.

Gaming and Spelling

Brandt has finished his 20 minutes of reading for the day, so he is playing a game on his Kindle.  It's an interactive game where he can type things he wants or needs, and they appear.  I don't know what's it called or even the purpose.  It required spelling, of course, so he will frequently say to me, "Mom, how do you spell . . ."  He asked me how to spell helicopter and carriage and airplane and knife, but then just a moment ago, Brandt said to me, "Mom, how do you spell . . . " but I wasn't quite sure I heard him correctly.

"What did you ask?" I said.

"How do you spell corpse, like a dead body?"  I had heard him correctly.  I helped him out, but had to wonder what he needed a corpse for.

FHE

Blythe wanted to make cookies today, so we did.  Cut-out sugar cookies.  For Thanksgiving she chose turkeys, stars, circles, and mushrooms.  Tonight we decorated them for our family home evening activity.  Then we ate them all.  I don't think there is even one left to sneak tomorrow.

Release

Today I was released as the Primary president.  It has been four years since I was called, and with the two previous years I served as the Primary chorister, that makes six years since I began working in Primary.  Six wonderful, fulfilling, very fun years.  I have served with Cinda Morgan and Heidi Tanner as my first counselor and secretary for all four years, and with Christine Gleave, Fran Jensen, and Char Doman as my second counselors.  As a presidency, I have felt that we were united in vision and friendship; we have worked together so well.  I feel so blessed to have been in Primary that long, and to have been uplifted and inspired by the children in our ward.

When I was first called, we had about 40 kids in Primary.  Our ward has grown and the Primary has doubled in size.  I have been so impressed by the powerful testimonies of the young people, by their faith in Heavenly Father.  Each week this year, we have given the children the opportunity to share how they know Heavenly Father loves them.  Each person who shares has been able to put a puffball in a large glass jar we have in the front of the room.  It has been sweet to listen to their testimonies.  Sometimes, especially in junior Primary, eighteen kids will stand up to share and eleven of them will say, "I know Heavenly Father loves me because he gave us trees."  Trees and the earth have been very popular.  But other times a child will share something like this, "I know Heavenly Father loves me because I was having a hard time learning to ride my bike without training wheels.  I said a prayer and asked Him to help me, and then I did it!"  Blythe, age 5.   (That would be my Blythe.)  Those moments of sincere, real testimony have made me weep.  And quite frankly, I wept regularly.

The music in Primary made me cry too.  I was so moved when the children sang, "I know that my Savior loves me," or "If I listen with my heart I hear the Savior's voice," or "I have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."  Primary songs teach the gospel so profoundly and yet so simply.  I love them and I love hearing the children sing them.

I will miss being in Primary.  I told the children today that I knew Heavenly Father loved me because He let me stay with them for so long.  I have to go back to Relief Society where everyone is old.  I have felt young and vibrant surrounded by young and vibrant Primary children, and I will miss that.  I think Primary is where it's at spiritually at church too.  If you ask me where the Spirit is hanging out at during our meetings, I'll confidently tell you it's in Primary.  All good things must come to an end, and as Kent pointed out, I need to share the blessings around.  I have enjoyed them for a long time--it's someone else's turn.  I suppose he is right, but it will be strange to not be there.  And I think the kids will find it strange too.  I have been a part of their Primary experience from the beginning; they have never not had me in Primary.  I hope we can all adjust to the change.

A Piano Recital

I've been taking piano lessons now for nearly two years.  My teacher, Mike, has had a couple of recitals during that time, but I've been out of town so I haven't participated.  However, today was a recital and I'm in town, I've been practicing like mad, and do I performed.  I played a simplified (though still difficult for me) version of Camille Saint-Saens' The Swan from Carnival of the Animals.

I felt fairly silly performing because I am one of only two adult students that Mike has.  I was playing with young people, most not yet in their teens.  But I suppose I am setting a good example for my children, and I have been enjoying playing better and seeing improvement.  Kent, Brandt, Blythe, my mom, and Mikayla all came to listen.  Isn't it wonderful to have family support.  I felt like I played well, though I did make some mistakes.  The beginning and the end were both good; I was happy to have started and ended well.  Brandt took three pictures, all from fairly far away, and all blurry, but here is proof that I recitaled.

A Fabulous Prize

This year, I volunteered to help with the Reflections contest at Brandt and Blythe's school.  My good friend Becky was in charge, and I wanted to help her.  At the beginning of October, I went over to the school and made a visit to each classroom wearing a very goofy yellow flower headband that sort of looks like sun rays and encouraged the children to "let their creative light shine" by participating.  Then I came home and encouraged my specific children to participate.  Brandt was totally uninterested.  "No!" was all he said.  So I turned to our wonderfully creative Blythe whose artistic output is so great I can't keep up with finding a place for all of it.  She said she wanted to do a dance with Mia Bella, a girl in her class.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  But, I did suggest a second alternative.

Over the past month or so, Blythe has been writing and illustrating a story about a mouse she rescues.  The mouse sneaks cheese out of the fridge and is eventually invited to become the family pet.  Kent and I think it is absolutely darlingly wonderful.  At five, she is already creating complete works.  I look at her and think, "Blythe is going to be a children's book author/illustrator when she grows up."  At five, we know what her future holds.  I said that I thought she should enter her story in the competition and see what happened.  Blythe did not want me to give away her story, but I assured her that it will come back to us at the end.  So she agreed and we submitted the story.

It turns out that Blythe won a trophy!  She was one of two children in grades K-2 who were selected as being outstanding and worthy to move on to the district level.  Yeah!  There was an assembly to recognize those who won and all who participated, and Blythe got to go up in front of the whole school and receive her trophy.  She was really, really excited to be recognized, and to win a fabulous prize.  Here she is getting her trophy.

She was super excited to get her award, 

but also a bit nervous to be going up in front of everyone.

I walked up with her but then sent her up to get it alone so that I could take a picture.

We went home from the assemby, and before I could get a close-up picture with Blythe and her trophy, it fell on the floor and broke.  The top part separated from the bottom and was very difficult to repair.  It was my fault and I tried to glue it before Blythe was aware it was broken and Kent got home and she wanted to show him.  The super glue didn't hold, the epoxy didn't hold, I was in trouble.  Fortunately, she was kind and understanding and wasn't too, too mad at me.  She knows Kent is a fixer guy and would make it right.  He did.  So here is a picture of her with her fabulous prize.

The trophy has the theme "Believe, Dream, Inspire" on the top, then the name of the school, her name, and Literature on the bottom.  Her story will go on to the district level and we'll wait and see what happens.  

I must acknowledge here that there were only two literature entries for Blythe's age group, and two "winners," those chosen as being outstanding.  She was a shoe-in.  But she didn't know that, and so the thrill of winning was certainly not diminished.  I hope this early success fuels her drive to keep writing/illustrating.

Yearly Pics

We don't really believe in getting school pictures.  When Brandt was in kindergarten, we bought a small package of pictures of both him and Blythe (I took her in), but neither of them looked natural and I decided we wouldn't do it again.  We have gotten class pictures because I think that is important, but as far as a set of shots of the kids posed with artificial smiles, that's not happening again.

However, I do feel that it is important to mark growth and change each year, so I enlisted Mikayla's help to take pictures of the kids.  We went up to the state hospital to run around the old castle, and I love the way most of them turned out.  The kids cooperated well, for which I was grateful, and I had fun photos to give to grandparents for Christmas.  I'm not really sure I need to include all of them, but here they are.

Brandt, age 7, and Blythe, age 5.

 

 

 

 

  
 

 

 

This is one of those pictures where it suddenly hit me,

'This is what Blythe will look like when she's older.

She doesn't look little.' 

  
 

 

 

I love those eyes and those dimples. 

 

 

There is a lot going on behind those green eyes.

Lots of impish mischief.

 

 

 

This is about the only picture where you can sort of see that Brandt's bottom teeth are coming in.

That's a very strange smile.