Adventures With Clyde-Week 2

Saturday morning we couldn't find Clyde anywhere!  The kids searched and searched.  It wasn't until Caveman woke up and the kids checked his room that he was found.

 Fishing! In Cavemans fish tank!  (sidenote-Caveman brought home five goldfish a few weeks ago.  There is only one left.  It has one eye.  Creepy.)

Sunday morning we were shocked at what we found.  Not sure what Clyde did but it looked like he got himself into some trouble.

Good thing he found a motorcycle to escape.  Monday morning he got into the sweets again.

Everyone loves roasted marshmallows right? Even elves.  Tuesday morning we found him swinging from the ceiling fan.  But I forgot to take a picture!  But I got a lot on Wednesday.

Looks like a pretty intense snowball fight with the Toy Story gang.  We had a mishap on Wednesday though.  Clyde sat on the table all day after the snowball fight was cleaned up.  We all know when you touch an elf they lose their magic but all of the visitors to our house don't know that.  He was touched by a child Wednesday afternoon.  We weren't sure what we find Thursday morning.  The kids were worried he wouldn't make it back to the North Pole to give his report to Santa.  This is what we found where he was sitting the day before.

But we couldn't find Clyde anywhere.  After everyone left for school Baby opened the freezer to find some breakfast.

And Clyde!  He said, " Of course! The freezer feels just like the North Pole!"  After some magic dust and a day in the freezer Clyde was back in action. 

 He took it easy his first day back but I have a feeling he'll be causing more trouble in no time. 

Conversation with Baby

We were driving down the street today and I started singing...

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

You make me happy when skies are grey.

You'll never know just how much I love you..."

Baby stops me and says, "Yes I do mom.  It's a mill-e-un!"

Yes indeed little man.  Yes indeed.

Adventures with Clyde-Week 1

The kids really wanted an Elf on the Shelf.  Rockstar even told me I could buy one at Target.  The last couple of years I told the kids that I already had five kids, I didn't need an elf making mischief in my house every night in December.  But this year I caved.  I went to the store and bought one.  And the baby was with me.  A little less magical than elf arrivals in other homes.  Oh well.  We told the kids that he wouldn't come out of his box until our house was decorated.  We wanted him to feel at home.  So we spent Friday evening decorating the house for Christmas.  It got late and we decided to finish the job on Saturday.  The next morning the kids were dying to get the elf out of the box.  We got the box so we could read the book but the elf wasn't in it!  The kids ran around frantically trying to find him. 

 He was found hiding in the movie cabinet.  We read the book, named him Clyde, and tried to be on our best behavior.  Some of us were better than others. 

Sunday morning this is what we found...

He was making hot chocolate.  And a mess.  He left a trail of marshmallows from the pantry to the table.  I told the kids if he keeps making messes in my house I'll have to send him back to the North Pole.  We went to church and when we came home he was gone.

He finished his hot cocoa and hid.  But left another mess.  Rockstar volunteered to clean up after him.  Lucky elf.  We found him here.

 I guess all that action on Sunday wore him out because Monday morning he was found here...

He swiped a care bear ornament off the tree to cuddle.  And that tissue box must have been comfortable.  He was all rested up for some mischief.  Tuesday morning...

Yeah.  He toilet papered the Christmas tree.  The whole living room really.  And Rockstar cleaned it up.  And this was bound to happen sooner or later...

Elves love maple syrup!  Wednesday night Sassy left the printer on.  This is where we found him Thursday...

He even photocopied his bum.  What a miscreant!  Friday he spent the day with our Nutcracker...

The kids have had a lot of fun looking for him every morning.  I'm just hoping he won't make too many more messes.  Tune in next week for more adventures with Clyde.

Eight

Our Cowboy turned eight years old.  He was very excited to get baptized.  We spent the weeks leading up to his baptism teaching him about what he was about to do and making sure he understood how important it was.  He helped me plan the program for him baptism and chose all of the songs and who would give talks and prayers.  After a lot of thought he decided that he would like for his big brother to baptize him.  It was such a special experience for both of them.  Their birthdays are only four days apart.  Caveman turned eight right after Cowboy was born, so Caveman was baptized the same weekend that Cowboy was blessed eight years ago.  We talked then about how Caveman would be sixteen when Cowboy turned eight and would be old enough to baptize him. 

I think it was a tender experience for both of them.  After Cowboy was baptized his dad confirmed him a member of the church and gave him the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

His primary teacher.

His old primary teacher for the last three years.

Church buddies.

Our family.  Baby loves the missionaries.  One of them let him wear his tag and he thought it was so cool.

The elders came over for dinner and he got their tag again.  The next day he told his sister he was going to hang out in Cavemans room so they could be like missionaries.  

It was a really great day spent with family and friends.  It's crazy to think that four of our five are baptized.  They are growing up.  So fast.

Tender Mercies

  “the Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalms 145:9)

Last week I had appendicitis.  What?!?  That's what I thought too.  I could write about how much pain I was in.  Or about the day and a half I spent in the hospital.  But that's not what I want to remember about this ordeal.  This is what I want to remember...

The twelve hours between arriving at the ER and going into surgery are blurry to me but one thing sticks out.  Once we got upstairs Matt said to me, "What are the chances that our insurance would start yesterday and you are having surgery today?"  My answer, "It's a tender mercy."

When Matt left Delta Air Lines last year our benefits ended on September 30.  He was offered insurance at his new job and it was ridiculously expensive and had an enormous deductible.  We opted not to do it.  Was it scary?  Totally.  We worried every time one of our kids got on a bike or a skateboard.  I was working on getting benefits for the kids when Matt changed jobs this past summer.  They offered great, affordable coverage.  We just had to wait until October 1.  I have thought often over the last twelve months how miraculous it is that we have five children that haven't needed to see a doctor.  Tender mercy.

So our coverage began on October 1st.  I was in the ER that night about to have an appendectomy.  When I came out of surgery the doctor talked to my husband.  He told him that my appendix was gangrenous.  He was shocked that it hadn't ruptured yet and that I had only been having symptoms for one day. 

"The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ...  The Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord’s timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings."

 David A. Bednar

So here I am a week and a half later.  My body is healing.  The only physical evidence is three tiny incisions on my belly.  What you can't see is that my heart has changed.  I am more aware than ever of the Lord's hand in my life.  He continues to bless me and family in large and small ways every single day.  Even when I fall short.  Even when I don't give Him all I can.  He continues to reveal his love to me.  And I am so grateful. 

“But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20).

McCain Reunion

The first week of June we traveled to Nashville for the McCain family reunion.  The McCain's are my mother's side of the family.  Her parents had nine children.  And forty-five grandchildren.  I am one of those grandchildren.  We have a reunion every four years.  This year it was at my Uncle Donny's home just outside of Nashville, TN.  

This is the first time we have had family T-shirts.  There were nine colors.  I thought they turned out nice.  This is my dad holding my nephew Brady. 

My Uncle's home has lots of room for kids to run and play and the kids took advantage of it.  The first evening we were there I came upon this cuteness.  That's my brother Reed.  Brady is his baby. 

 Every evening we gathered for dinner and a family meeting.  We took care of "business" and shared stories and talents.

 There was some dancing.
(The tree on the back wall is a family tree.  There is a branch for each of my grandparents children.  Everyone who was there added a leaf to the branch they belong to.)

 The second day a lot of us met back at Don's house.  My brothers brought a giant sheet of plastic and set up a slip and slide.  The kids went back and forth from the slide to the pool all day.

 Aunt Patti planned some games for the kids in the afternoon.  She had all the kids line up around the edges of the pool.  Then she threw coins into the pool and they had to dive for them. 

 Once they found all the money in the pool they were able to spend it at a "store" she set up.  There were bubbles, sidewalk chalk, candy, etc.

 Then there was a water balloon toss.

After dinner that evening my dad took the kids on a hay ride.

I'm pretty sure I have some of the cutest nieces and nephews on the planet.

 This year for your service project we collected shoes for Soles4Souls

 The kids all had a lot fun playing with cousins and getting to know cousins they haven't seen for a while or have never met before.

 At the family meeting the last night, someone told a story of when the cousins were little and would come over to my grandparents house.  My grandpa would stand my cousin Will up on the piano stool and have him sing I Am a Child of God.  Will was only 2 or 3.  So he was asked to sing at our meeting that last night.  He has a beautiful voice and it was very moving.

 There was a pinata that evening.  It was filled with Tootsie Rolls, my grandmothers favorite candy.

 My cousin Jana brought "The Blessing Dress".  My mom gave this dress to her mother for her granddaughters to be blessed in.  At some point the dress was lost.  Jana wanted a picture of everyone that was blessed in it.  I think there are four people missing.

 Aside from the time spent together at my Uncle's home a lot of us stayed in the same hotel and we all got together each night after the kids were sleeping to play cards.  It was so great to catch up with all of these wonderful people.  I am so blessed to have such a great family.  And I know it's so important that I share this with my children.  My grandparents were people of great faith.  Their family and the Gospel were the most important things in their lives.  I am truly grateful that we take the time out of our lives every few years to reconnect with our family. To share our history with our posterity.

My uncle has shared some of my grandfathers history on his blog.  I will link to it here so that I know where it is.