A Day to Remember - Lots of Love

Saturday, September 11th - the first available weekend we felt we had after Gunnar turned eight. At our church, we don't baptize babies. We baptize children at the age of (at least) eight - an age when they can understand and be accountable. I am sure they know the difference between right and wrong well before this magic age of eight, but we spend several years teaching and preparing them through all their classes at church and at home. I believe eight is a good age, although it's not really up to me - that's what the Lord decided, so we roll with it.

It is a day to remember. Gunnar obviously doesn't know what happened nine years ago in New York, but I do. I remember getting ready for work in our old East Wenatchee apartment. Neil and I hadn't been married one year yet. It was truly amazing footage on the TV all day long. What a strange day.

So, move forward nine years and we get to remember something else very special. Our oldest son is baptized. It's the first of many fairly major events in life. That means he is growing up; he's still a boy, but he's growing up fast.

We had a very nice afternoon. The weather was nice. I was a little cranky, I will admit, before we left for the church. We had a house cleaning frenzy in the morning - one where the boys were less than motivated to help and were great little dilly-dally-ers. So annoying. Then Gunnar had a soccer game, which was somewhat painful. He actually did play well most of the game, but he did excellent in the 4th quarter. Practices don't really teach game situations, so it's hard for those kids to go from dribbling ball drills to how to play a game. Anyway, enough about that.

After the game, we had a little over an hour before I felt we needed to leave. Of course, the ironing of clothes and bathing/showering of 2/3 of the kids took longer than I would have liked. But, we made it to the church on time. :-)

We had several family members there. I LOVE THAT! I come from a small family. I was terrified when I first joined the Livingston family - absolutely terrified (of course I wouldn't admit it then, but everyone could tell). It is reassuring to know that I was voted "in" by my nieces during a special meeting of the minds. Thanks, girls. You are the best! So, now that I have been a part of the family for officially almost 10 years, I couldn't imagine it any other way. I love that we all come together for family events. It's harder as the years go by and everyone gets older. We used to travel for ordinations to different offices in the Aaronic priesthood. That's how dedicated we are. Neil and I now live a little far to go for those things, but we do make it for major happenings. (Except the baby blessing of the twins, sorry Downs, trip to the mountains to see my Grandparents - I feel terrible we missed that.)

Sorry for the digression . . .

Gunnar chose his cousin Jake to give the talk on Baptism and cousin Brad to give the talk on the Holy Ghost. They did a good job. I always forget just how redneck cousin Jake is, but I love him and all of his redneck-ness. :-) I love that he brought his silver dollar that he got from Grandma Great Livingston when he was baptised 20 years ago. I think that made some eyes teary. I love that Gunnar's Grandma Livingston decided to carry on the tradition of silver dollars and Bibles for our kids (and Tessa) since Grandma Great is not here to do it for them. What is really special is the note that goes with the silver dollar, which goes with his brand new scriptures:

Gunnar,

In this blue bag is a dollar made of precious metal, silver. The bag is a protector & keeps it shining.

If you live by these scriptures, your life will be shining and bright. They will teach you many things and help you to resist the many temptations you will face in life as you get older.

I know these books are true and will guide you throughout your life, and help you prepare for your mission.

Grandpa and I are very proud of you this day. We are grateful for the good mom and dad you have and for the testimony of the gospel they have.

I know the church is true and I'm grateful for all my blessings it brings to me. I know the scriptures are the word of God.

Remember to study and pray often.

Grandma & Grandpa L.

I love that my lovely nieces were willing to sing a tune for Gunnar's baptism and step in to lead the music. I love that my nephews were honored to speak. I love that my in-laws wouldn't have missed it for anything! I love that Gunnar's confirmation blessing was awesome! I wish I could remember it all. Where is that pocket tape recorder when you need it? I know we all have one our phones, what was I thinking? Anyway, I do remember that he was blessed to be a good example, especially for his brothers. He was also blessed with courage to be a leader for good. I love that. Gunnar can do it if he puts his heart and soul into it.

It was a pretty low-key, low-stress event. I did send Neil to the wrong bakery to pick up the cake afterwards, so it took a few extra minutes (or 15). I will take the blame for not communicating correctly where the cake was to be picked up. It was an excellent cake though, so well worth the wait. I am bummed that Jaye Dean, Uncle Milo and Hank broke down on the way and weren't able to make it. Thank you to Uncle Max for coming to their safe rescue and return home. Thank you, Hank for making an appearance even if you missed everything but the food. :)

Thank you to our Primary Presidency for helping make it less stressful. "My Baptism Book" was awesome and my sister-in-law totally, seriously wants one. Thank you for filling the font with warm water and making personal sacrifices to be there. :)

I recall Jake talking about the fact that for at least a split second, you are free from sin. For some of us that feeling doesn't last as long as it does for others. I was curious how this would affect Gunnar. Sunday could be just another Sunday where we have to rush and fight to get people dressed and out the door. Although, we did arrive at church during the opening song instead of before it started, we had a pretty good morning without frustration and yelling. The boys weren't argumentative while getting ready. I don't think they brushed their teeth or anything, but they were dressed. Gunnar actually wore a tie. A new tie given to him yesterday by some friends. Thank you, friends. He's not worn a tie since he was too little to remember. He also wanted to bring his new scriptures to church. I dug out an old scripture bag for him to borrow until he gets his own. I meant to order the one he wanted, but I honestly didn't remember that until he pulled his scriptures out of his gift bag this morning.

Again, I digressed from where I was originally going with my thoughts . . .

So, Gunnar was pretty cooperative today. We got home from church and Neil took Fischer upstairs for a nap. Gunnar came downstairs, got a chocolate milk out of the garage, stuck the straw in and handed it to me. Awe, for me? He was so sweet. He didn't even like rush to get himself one. He and I played catch with the football, inside, downstairs, for a little while. He then took a break to get himself a milk. He was just being a very nice kid. He's excited for football (which doesn't happen for like three more school years) because he will be able to push people around and not get yelled at like he does in soccer.

We ate one of his favorite meals for dinner - BBQ pork short ribs (with Aunt Cathy's sauce), mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and Pillsbury flaky layers biscuits, with POG juice (I think he drank the last of the cream soda, actually, but I drank POG). Mmm, good.

Gunnar was just being a nice, polite boy today. He didn't chew or talk with his mouth open; he didn't rush through his food; he read his book when it was time and I didn't hear him whine; he picked out his $10 worth of Scholastic Books; he went to bed without whining, although did have to scarf a piece of cake before he went. It was a nice Sunday.

I know that we have several friends and many family members who do not share our same faith or religion. I know that some people will not understand why we do what we do. I know that we don't fully understand what we do what we do. But, what I do know is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a way of life, not just a thing we do. The way we live is peaceful and happy. We live free from major drama, free from major chaos and free from negativity. We chose to be productive members of society who aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. We chose to believe we can repent for our mistakes so that we can return to live in eternal bliss with our family. We chose to believe in life on earth as a journey to our next destination, Heaven with Heavenly parents and a Heavenly brother, Jesus Christ. The Spirit that we feel when we are with our family participating in righteous activities is real. The Spirit fills our hearts and, often times, fills our eyes with tears. I know that our Father in Heaven loves us. He blesses us each day with so many things . . . physical blessings as well as spiritual ones. It's always been hard for me to express my feelings, especially to those who aren't members of the LDS church. Luckily, I can do it here. :) I believe what I believe. In the end, if my beliefs are inaccurate, at least I can say that I lived my life in peace, in happiness, and in fun. I can say that I tried my best to raise my children as respectful, productive, intelligent members of society who can take care of themselves and who have an end goal in life. Although, we are encouraged often to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with our friends and family, I usually don't. I know I am not a perfect example of a "saint", but I hope that others will know what is in my heart by the way that I conduct my life (which reminds me I should make some conscious efforts in some areas!).

I love my family - all of them - my mom, my grandparents, my aunts, uncles & cousins. I love them all. I appreciate EVERYTHING that my mom and my grandparents have done for me. There aren't enough minutes in the day to say how much I love them. I am happy to be living a life that has a meaning and purpose. I love my three sons - wow, three sons - that sounds a little strange. They teach me so much. They are amazing on so many levels. I love my husband and couldn't imagine life without him. And, I love the crazy family I married into. I am happy to say that I don't have crazy, meddling in-laws and I have a fantabulous mess of nieces, nephews, and great nieces & nephews that I couldn't have otherwise being an only child.

I hope Gunnar will remember this day for years to come. I hope he remembers the feelings he felt and I hope he remembers the Spirit he felt. I pray always that he continues to follow in the Gospel footsteps, so that he too can have a peaceful and happy life full of fun!

Pictures to follow . . . of course another thing that went wrong was a dead camera battery. Thanks to Aunt Ann and Aunt Susan for always being prepared with fully charged camera batteries. I also didn't get a picture of Gunnar in his baptismal clothes; he was so cute this afternoon when I mentioned that. He, who normally hates to be in pictures, said we could just go into Hermiston and he could put it back on really quick for a picture. Awe . . . well, we'll see. :-)

SPT (I'm early this time!)

It is actually Monday night and I am post dating (well, I am going to put the time I finish this, it will be Tuesday to some of you) this so I am on time for Self-Portrait Tuesday! Lelly's challenge was this:

this week's challenge: in your easter bonnet, with all the frills upon itwhat are your fondest memories of easter as a child? are you chocolate, or jelly beans? did you ever actually have an easter bonnet?!?as you gather with family and friends (in their matchie clothes), remember to get yourself in that group shot!! when you were finding those perfect outfits, did you remember to find something for you? will you snap casual photos around the family table, or will you troupe out on the lawn for a staged shot?

So, the Easter morning was not exactly what I would have expected it to be. I guess I expect Holidays to be a different routine for getting ready for Church, but no such luck - same ol', same ol'. We have church at 11am, which is a good time for us. If we've not washed something, I can get it washed before we need to get ready. If I haven't finished up (or started rather) the RS bulletin, I can finish it. If we have to prepare lessons, we have that extra little review time in the morning. So, it's good. However, if I do have to do some of that I end up still rushing around before we need to leave and practically shove everyone out the door in a grumpy rush! We are getting better about trying not to be so rushed because we shouldn't be!! It's silly. So, Easter Sunday really was no different. Our Sacrament Meeting was pretty good, I thought. I actually remember some of the thoughts that were shared, so that's always a plus. With the two boys not being able to sit still EVER, I sometimes feel like I can't remember anything. Paden went to Nursery with no issues. It was kind of funny because Gunnar just took Paden over to the Nursery leader right after the closing prayer and away they went to the Nursery. Gunnar came back and then had me take him to Primary which never works because he gets all clingy if I take him. Our RS lesson was fabulous about personal testimony. We were planning on heading to my in-laws house after church. So, in the rush to church on time and the rush to get home, changed and out to my in-laws' house, I got ZERO pics of us in our nice clothes for Easter. Then, I got to thinking, I have all boys - we don't get new Easter clothes anyway - it's the same old stuff they always wear. Paden got a new white shirt a month ago for my nephew's wedding and new shoes. He loves wearing his froggy tie. Gunnar actually had to wear his khaki pants with brown shoes which he usually refuses to do. He always wears charcol gray pants with black shoes. Well, I could not find one of the black shoes so he had to suffer with the others. Usually they wear the same thing every Sunday. I, however, was able to pull out springy clothes for the springy day we had! White skirt with green & blue stitching in some flower type pattern with a green 3/4 sleeve shirt and white sandles. It's really one of my favorite outfits. If I lose too many more pounds, the skirt will be too big and I will have a bittersweet feeling about that!

Ok, I am totally rambling, I must have a need to empty my head right now.

So, Easter growing up for me was nothing really special. I only remember getting an Easter basket one year of my childhood. My family was not religious and I really had no clue what Easter was really about anyway. My mom (single mom of one me) was not made of money, so I really didn't care about Easter baskets. We usually had a larger dinner than normal, I guess that's what you do when everyone says there's a holiday. It was usually ham, I think. Although that memory is a little fuzzy. I know that when I was a little older (somewhere between childhood and pre-marriage), I thought I would do holidays better than what I had when I was a kid. So far, it's not been too much better. Working full time doesn't give me the time I would like to "do up" the holidays like I would like to. So, I do have some goals for next Easter because it's such an important holiday and we never hear in the media about "the true meaning of Easter" as much as you do with the "true meaning of Christmas". I really have a need to teach my children the true meaning of Easter and not let it get lost with the frilly bunny stuff. We did get our boys a dollar store basket with a bottle of bubbles (3/$1) and Paden got a new car and Gunnar got a baseball glove and ball. They were there when we bought the stuff and we even let Paden play with his car when we got home. Then on Sunday I told Gunnar the Easter Bunny was going to meet us at Grandpa's house since we'd be there anyway. We didn't really make a big "to do" about it and neither did the boys. They are the youngest of the grandkids (only great grandkids are younger, then there's Tess who's the same age as Gunnar) so they get to hunt eggs all by themselves. They found about a dozen each, which is just right. The wind was blowing, so it was a little nippy to be out anyway.

So, finally to the part where I reveal my SPT portrait. It's going to look like this one should have been posted last week for PLAY! We didn't get that Easter Family Portrait. Oh well, maybe next year. We did have a great time doing this:

- yep on Sunday! It was a family activity and I don't feel one bit guilty about it. I know some people wouldn't really find playing outside and jumping on the trampoline a reverent Sabbath day activity. However, I think it was a great wholesome family activity and I am glad we were all able to be together and enjoy ourselves. Family is the most important possesion we have and I am grateful to have the family I grew up with that raised me and for the family I married into. Every one of them have a special and important place in my heart and there is no place I would rather be but with family on Easter Sunday. My parents and grandparents are in Arizona and I would have loved to split holiday weekend time with them as well, but they seem to think that Arizona is the place to be in the later winter/early spring! We'll see them soon!

Here's some more fun pics of our Easter Sunday:




Great day all in all and I took a gabazillion pictures (seems like). I think I have shared enough already (probably too many). TTFN!

Self Portrait Tuesday on Wednesday, again!

I have a lot of great "excuses" why I didn't get my pics up on Tuesday - the one that I think is valid is becuase after working all day, I got home at 6:15pm, ate a PB&J sandwich, went to dollar scoop Tuesdays at Baskin & Robbins, went to Big R too look at baby chicks, went to Staples to look for laminating sheets, they didn't have the right ones, so we went to Office Depot, THEN came home, got the kids ready for bed (one already fell asleep in the car), #2 dear sweet boy had issues going to bed, laid down with him for a while, finally he fell asleep, went to couch where I fell asleep by 9:30pm! At work we are installing a new time & attendance system and we were training and learning the new system, so my brain and eyes were (still are) tired. We started on this project on Monday and next Monday we go live with it. Yeah, it's a crazy plan, but it shouldn't be too bad.

Anyway, so for SPT, I didn't really get a huge chance to play with friends, as Lelly suggested. Friday night, we did our monthly big trip to Costco (as a family). Saturday, my hubby had to umpire baseball games, so the boys & I did our grocery store trip and cleaned the house. The boys played outside in their sandbox for a bit. Sunday, we watched the first session of Conference at home, then headed to my in-laws' house in between. Some other family members also came, so I was able to get some pics of family with a couple of me in them. That's my play date for the week.

These are my nieces (they are sisters), Jaye Dean, Katie & Cassidy. Jaye Dean is 17, Katie is 12 (I think) and Cassidy is 15 (turning 16 nex month!). Yep, even the youngest one is almost taller than me! They are sweet girls!! Some other family that we had the pleasure of are:

Top: Zoey with the beloved fudgecicle.

Middle: Hank with Paden & Megan putting on her smile at the sight of the camera.

Bottom: Lilly with Grandpa

So, even though I caught Lilly with her eyes closed, I am sure she'll think that one is better than the one I caught of her on her dad's lap with a great face. I would hate to emabarss this almost 16-year old!

Family is great and I married into a pretty big one (well for me anyway). It's fun to have gatherings at Grandma & Grandpa's house, even though it's getting smaller as the kids get bigger. Tess & Gunnar were outside when I was taking pics, so I didn't get them - bummer. And no pics of Susan that I could find, so she's saved for today!

I really need to get ready for work, I need to leave in about 25 minutes!