“I know I speak for everyone here,…..Welcome Home.”

One Saturday in January a few years ago we made a trip to my cousin Tonya’s home several hours away. She had planned a surprise party and wanted as many family members there as could make it. This wasn’t a birthday party although there was certainly a feeling of celebration, expectation and joy among all who were there, waiting for the guest of honor to arrive. There were kids chasing each other up and down the stairs, teenagers hanging out with other teenage cousins, adults who had not seen each other for months or in some cases years visiting and catching up on all the news and just reconnecting with each other; renewing the family bonds.

The atmosphere seemed to get even more intense when someone noticed Tonya’s car approaching. You see she was bringing the guest of honor, her husband, home. Everyone started rushing around frantically moving away from the windows and the front door. Tonya’s brother, Taigon rushed to get Tonya’s two son’s so that they would be there to see their daddy come home. Then all of a sudden the door opened and in walked Tonya and Jeff. Some of the adults yelled, “Surprise” and others “Welcome Home” but all eyes were on little Jeffrey as he ran pell-mell across the room into his daddy’s arms. His 17-month-old brother Trapper closely followed him; but he wanted mommy. And there we all saw this family who had been separated for 15 months while Jeff fought the war in Iraq together again.

After the first round of hugs and greetings had passed Taigon got everyone’s attention and his words were so simple, “I know I speak for everyone here,” he said, “Welcome Home Jeff.” The spirit had completely filled that home and all who were there gathered around and offered a prayer of gratitude to Heavenly Father for Jeff’s safe return and the reuniting of this family. Later on I heard Jeff tell Tonya “this was exactly how he had imagined his homecoming although he didn’t expect more than just their immediate family especially with the weather and road conditions.”

His words really touched me. The scene made me think of another homecoming that will eventually happen for all of us when we return from our long journey here on earth, where we have not only had the opportunity to have an earthly body and learn of Jesus and how to become more like him but to be members of and have families of our own.

How blessed we are to have the gospel and the ordinances which allow us to be united together FOREVER with our families. I had never really had any representation of what it truly means to be a forever family prior to this moment at my cousin’s home. Each time I thought of being together forever with my family I simply thought of my immediate family, my husband and sons…but just imagine we will be together with all our loved ones and all their loved ones. What a homecoming it will truly be, to be together with some that we have not seen for years, decades and yet they will all be there to welcome us home. I know God lives. Jesus is the Christ. Through His Atonement we will all have the opportunity of being resurrected. This is not just an individual blessing; it is much more than that. It is a blessing to each one of us and to our families. That we may be eternally grateful, that we can live in the presence of God the Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ, that we may be together in the eternities to come, that we might understand the joy, and that we not only teach this doctrine but live true to it in our lives and in our families. My prayer is that all of us will love our families, learn the gospel, live and teach its principals to our families so that when the time comes we will each hear a voice saying “I know I speak for everyone here,…..Welcome Home.”

An Overnight Visitor

Mr. Engineer had an impromptu playdate with SP and NT and the MOM had the bad fortune of showing up just as the "cool toys" were making an appearance. Well a melt down was in the making and then NT decided that it would be okay if the Engineer took Megatron (this mom is so uncool that I can't even remember if that was the correct name for the visiting transformer) home overnight as long as he brought him back in the morning on his way to school.

We had to take a couple of pictures of our visitor to help us remember him in all of his various forms. So here he is as a jet (?) from a couple of different angles.

We just wanted NT to know that while he was here he participated in an adventure to save the world from all of the powerful bad guys. It was so cool he had missiles that flew off of his arms and shot through the air to strike the bad guys in an AWESOME explosion. After saving the world he went to bed with Mr. Engineer and slept comfortably in a box on the train table.

In the morning he supervised the recharging of the troops by keeping careful watch from the counter as cereal was consumed topped with colored marshmellows. When it was time to go out the door Megatron was the first one in the car and he reminded the Engineer of his forgotten backpack as we were pulling out of the driveway.




And one final picture in his robot from just outside NT's house early in the morning before going back home.

Thanks SP and NT for letting Megatron come and spend the night with us.

You truly saved the day!

Wishful Thinking. . .

Snow, Snow Go Away!
We want you to melt so we can play!

We miss all the things we used to do outside we want to play ball and ride our bikes.

We miss our family walks and don't want to wear our coats.

We want to go camping, fishing, 4-wheelin' and ridin' in boats.

So Old Man Winter go fly a kite!

No Need to Fear. . . .Super Dishwasher boy is here!

Ever since we instituted an allowance system where
the boys can earn a few coins for different jobs around
the house I have been blessed to have great helpers that are
always willing to pitch in when I need an extra hand.
Here 2 of the boys are splitting the 10 cent job of unloading the dishwasher.

My comedian reminded me that they'll wear their
capes and super hero gear for "No Extra Charge"

So if you need some extra household help, let me know.
I can even share with you the going rates.
However for you the costumes might cost extra!

Treats, Engineer Style

This week our engineer was in charge of treats for Family Night. We had Family Night on Tuesday and I had already made plans to go to the cannery so Papa Bear was left to follow the instructions of the Engineer. I think they both did a pretty good job. Here are the evidences of their creations.

This first one was created by the Comedian

It truly tastes delicious, can't you taste that sugar absorbing through every pore of your skin?
Here is the engineer carefully crafting his creation. Notice the careful distance and symmetry as he is placing each piece of candy.



Here is a quick look as his final product, gotta have that finishing touch on top!

And it is consumed just a bit more fastidiously. One must savor each and every bite you know. .

Little Monster Baby just is not quite sure what all the fuss is about......and can he please go to bed now?

"Superwoman" an accusation. . .

I was having a great day, house was in control, my boys were up and dressed, we had all had a healthy breakfast when the phone rang. It was a sister that I Visit Teach, she was having a very rough day. I offered to watch her children while she went to the temple and took some time to take care of herself. After I got off the phone with her, I went to say a quick prayer that she would find the peace of mind and body she was seeking. I received the impression that I should make dinner for her family. So I got out 2 crock pots and made dinner for my family in one and hers in the other. I thought while I was at it, I could make sandwiches and cut up some fruit for all of us for lunch as it was apt to get a bit chaotic with 5 children under the age of five, including one infant.

I felt a bit overwhelmed by the daunting task of entertaining 5 young children for several hours but I knew that it would be okay. When she arrived with her children in tow, we visited and she gave me special instructions for her littlest one and then quite out of the blue she accused me of being “superwoman”. I know in my brain that this was just her way of expressing her feelings of being overwhelmed and inadequate but it struck me like a physical blow. And suddenly all that I had done, needed to do and was trying to do felt so much weightier. It took me some time after she had left to let go of the feeling of weight on my shoulders and put my concerns back in the hands of my Savior. Later that night I was reading further in the book Glimpses into the life of Marjorie Pay Hinkley and found the following quotes which really helped me to put it all back into perspective for me.

President Spencer W. Kimball said, “We are not asking for something spectacular, but rather for the women of the Church to find real self-fulfillment in the pursuit of righteousness in worthy endeavors.” (As quoted by Marjorie Pay Hinkley, pp 202 Glimpses into the life of Marjorie Pay Hinkley)


A quote from Brigham Young, “Daily toil, however humble, is our daily duty and by doing it well we make it part of our daily worship.” And, I might add, part of our faith. (As quoted by Marjorie Pay Hinkley, pp 202 Glimpses into the life of Marjorie Pay Hinkley)

I fell asleep that night being grateful that I am not Superwoman. I am a daughter of a Father in Heaven who loves me and I love him. I believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all; indeed, I may say that I follow the admonition of Paul—I believe all things, I hope all things, I have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, I seek after these things. (Thirteenth Article of Faith) The words Jesus spoke in Mathew 19:26 "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." will help me to keep my perspective and my burdens light.

Snow, Snow, Go Away . . . . .

So my little engineer has finally decided that he too is tired of the snow and cold. He asked his papa the other day when Spring would finally be here. When he heard that it had to warm up enough to melt all the snow he decided that we had to do something to help Father in Heaven and Mother nature along.

After thinking about it for a bit he decided that if we were to move our stove and microwave outside, open the oven door and turn them all on high that before long the snow would melt and then springtime would be here. If we could convince all our neighbors to do the same thing it would come just that much faster.

When Papa confronted him with the electrical requirements of such an endeavor......

Mr. Engineer replied, "Oh I forgot about the power"

So now he is off to find another grande plan to get rid of this cold and wet stuff.

Baby it's Cold Outside

We woke up to a frosty, frosty day last Friday. It was so cold that my fingers froze in just the few seconds it took to snap a picture.

While it may look like a winter wonderland, you should notice that even the frost had frost. Truly beautiful and frozen.



















And me? I'm staying inside with a warm toasty fire and some hot cocoa. One of the best parts about Cache Valley in the winter time is definitely my fireplace.

Update: I fixed the lighting on the photos in Photoshop and now they reflect a wee bit more of the awesomeness of the site. Notice the frosty mittens on the Snow man?

From a Distance

I was having a really difficult time awhile ago. Then one day I realized those around me are only seeing me from a distance, they do not take the time to see me and know my struggles close-up.

The moon from here on earth looks perfectly smooth and glowing bright, and yet we know that were we to walk on the moon or see it close up with a telescope that it would be covered with an uneven surface and marked by craters from where it has been hit by meteors. A mountain peak from a distance looks smooth, just like we drew them as children; but the one who climbs it intimately knows the crevices, terrain, boulders and vegetation which make it difficult to climb. With the powerful electron microscopes of today we have been shown that not even a tabletop is perfectly smooth. From a distance those around me cannot comprehend why I spent an hour sobbing in an empty dark room, not that they know I did that, as they were so far distant. The closer you get to someone or something the more clearly you see and understand the trials faced.

Among the many commandments that we receive in D&C 42 it states in verse 52, “And they who have not faith to do these things, but believe in me, have power to become my sons, and inasmuch as they break not my laws thou shalt bear their infirmities. Barbara B. Smith counseled us when she was General Relief Society President to be sensitive to the changes that come into others lives as well as our own. How can we do that if we aren’t close enough to know when transitions are happening? Are we truly getting to know and be close to our brothers and sisters in the gospel or are we seeing them from a distance and only seeing what can be viewed from that distance?

“We are constantly being made aware of the realities of life, which include many transitional phases—from youth to maturity, from single to married, from a house filled with children to an empty house, from military to civilian life, from employment to retirement, from married to widowed or divorced, from young and vibrant to old and dependent. Each transition brings with it a special set of stresses and concerns. Each of us needs a listening ear, at times, and encouragement as we seek to find our way. Relief Society officers and teachers and members can offer help through these difficulties. We must be sensitive to the changes that come into each others lives.” (Barbara B. Smith, “The Bond of Charity,” Ensign, Nov. 1980, 103)