Tribute

My dear sweet grandpa is very close to being able to return to his Father in Heaven. He is excited to reunite with his loved ones who have passed before him and is at peace with what is happening to his poor, tired body. I just wanted to pay tribute to him and hopefully find some peace of my own in doing so. He has always been one of my biggest fans when it came to music. It was a passion for him, and he passed that along to several of his grandchildren. It didn't matter what I played, or what I sounded like, I always knew he appreciated it. He has been so crafty his whole life. He found joy in making projects that he then would pass along to others. Woodworking, plastic canvas, painting.....the list could go on and on. One of my most treasured possessions is my hope chest that he and my father made for me, by hand. I remember visiting Utah as a child and sitting by the kitchen window with him, looking for deer, or enjoying some popcorn or chocolate. I remember when he used to come visit us, we would climb into bed with he and Grandma and giggle while they argued about which one kept the other up through the night with their snoring. I remember him being there when I was sealed to my wonderful husband in the Nauvoo temple. He made sure to remind the sealer to speak loudly enough so that everyone could partake of his words of wisdom. He's been there when we needed him, he's helped us out when life got tough. He's such a sweet man and he has passed on an amazing legacy. We sure love him and hope he continues to be with us in spirit forever. I love you Grandpa. You are in our prayers.

Celebrating the true meaning of Christmas

After reading Mary's blog today, I was reminded of a post that I had wanted to write after reading the Dec. Ensign earlier this week. I was so touched by Elder Neal A. Maxwell's talk/testimony from right before he passed away. He said everything so eloquently, and it says everything I have ever felt and more. It's the way I wish my testimony of our Savior sounded (which could maybe happen someday if I didn't get so darn emotional every time.) I love that he says his testimony is the verbal equivalent to a child's finger painting, because to me, it compares much more to a beautiful painting that you can't take your eyes off of. If you would all take the time to read this, I think you will be touched. This is my testimony also........

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=5e1241dc0d186110VgnVCM100000176f620a____

Dancing Queen

Sorry the video is sideways. Our quick time video player didn't give an option for me to rotate it. So you will have to suffer through with your heads turned. This video was too cute not to post. Lainey loves to dance, and here you get to see some of her best "moves"! Enjoy!

Checkups

I took Aleece and Madelaine to their new pediatrician yesterday. We kind of found her by default, after Aleece ended up being in the hospital for the first week we arrived in Memphis. Aleece had to be rechecked since she has now been out of the hospital for about 5 weeks. She is picture perfect, much to our relief. Lainey was there for her 12 month checkup, a month late I know! I was crossing my fingers that she was going to have grown exponentially. (One can hope!) Well, our little peanut is a whopping 15 lbs 10 oz and 27 inches long. Luckily she is very healthy and has even hit all of her milestones early. She's just a little nugget! She is just barely wearing size 6 month clothes! Oh well! It is much easier to carry her around! She also recieved 4 vaccinations, which I was dreading. I always feel like you are completely helpless as a parent when your children are getting shots. You have to stand there and help hold them down, all the while looking into their eyes, telling them everything is going to be okay. Lainey only cried for about 20 seconds though and then she was back to her happy self. She is such a joy to have in our family! And Leecy T is such a great big sister. She was right there with me, helping tell her sister what a big girl she was and that she would feel better soon! She loves to "show Lainey the ropes". Mind you this involves everything from jumping on the bed, to yelling, to hiding, to pretty much anything you can imagine! They are the best of friends and I feel so blessed!