In Gigi Heaven

NEWS FLASH:   I have arrived in Alabama, which I am now referring to as "Gigi heaven", because I get to spoil my TWO grandbabies!  Baby Oliver (3 weeks old) is sweet, snuggly, easy-going, and has already stolen my heart.  His little cry is the sweetest and I'm eating up every snuggle I can get with him!    Lucie (2-years and 3ish months old) is spunky, talkative, and may be the most fiercely independent toddler I've ever met and I've had a few pretty feisty ones myself.   Oh, and did I mention that she likes to test boundaries and pull hair when she's feeling overstimulated?   

In other words, it's a party over here, but I wouldn't choose to be anywhere else in the world right now. 

Reading books together is one of the ways Lucie and I connect and she currently is obsessed with "Bill and Pete" and "Caps for Sale," which were two of my kids' favorites back in the day!  It's so fun to see these fun books delight another generation and I have to laugh at how she giggles at the same parts my kids did.    We recently discovered, "Serious Goose," by Jimmy Kimmel and it has quickly a new favorite, especially since her nickname has always been "Goose".   

Some fun(ny) things Lucie has said or done since I've been here: 
--She LOVES her dinosaur dress, which she calls her "disonaur" dress and wears it every day it's clean
--She declared that she loves football (after seeing a BYU cup)
--She follows me into the bathroom every single time  I need to go...not to watch me...but to turn off the lights and use the flashlight on my phone for a minute.   
--She likes me to sing, "Blue Sky" and "Child of God" for her every night.  
--She sleeps with her "Bear Friend" and kitty cat stuffed animals every night

--She is a little smartie pants and learns things very quickly
--She patted my chest and asked me if she could see my nipples--clearly the curious toddler of a new breastfeeding mom.  Haha !  
--She has literally potty trained herself in 2 days flat.  One day she fought using the potty tooth and nail, the next she woke up and hasn't had an accident since....even while out running errands and during nap time.  She even happily peed outside when there wasn't a bathroom around.  

--She is the sweetest big sister to Oliver and her love for him is fierce, though she is still learning to be gentle with him.  
--She calls the baby wrap Cami uses, "a wrapper" and she asks us to wrap her baby dolls up and attach them to her.   
--She totally says things like, "That's unfortunate," and  "Goodness...gracious." 
--She loves to have some of my smoothie every day and somehow manages to make quite a mess of them.   Today she was dipping her lollipop (a reward for going #2 on the potty) into the smoothie and it made me giggle!  

Oliver doesn't do much yet other than sleep, eat, and fill diapers, but those newborn days are so darn short, it’s hard not to just sit and stare at how perfect he is!  And we’ve seen the first glimpses of his smile the last couple days, which is a newborn delight that never gets old! 

It's kind of a wild experience watching your own baby become a mother and  I am loving being here and getting a front row seat for a time, especially since I remember all too well how precious and fleeting these days with young kids are.   Blink and before you know it...they're all-knowing teenagers, and then blink again and they're scattered and living all over the country, so I'm trying to slow down and drink it up while I can.   

💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

Some Firsts...

I was reading through some old blogposts the other day and was reminded of the fact that I used to blog with an effort to be at least slightly creative...sometimes even with a bit of humor.   No more though.  I hate to say it, but I'm not sure my brain thinks that way anymore and I think those days might be gone for good.  I'm just happy to be blogging again and capturing little glimpses into the stories of our lives.    Long story short....this post is about as creative as I do these days. 

*************************************

Here's a look at a few FIRSTS in our family...

 

Ellie went skiing for the FIRST time with her friend Charity.   She ended up with a grand raccoon face because she didn't get the memo about applying sunscreen in cold weather.   It sounds like it was a hit, though,  and she'd definitely do it again.   She also recently started her FIRST ever job and is enjoying that challenge. 

All these pictures of Oliver are a FIRST, because he's our very FIRST grandson and we are a wee bit obsessed. 

I'm especially enamored with the pictures of Lucie and Oliver together.  Such big pieces of my heart right there and I cannot wait to meet him for the FIRST time soon!  

This FIRST side-by-side comparison of Lucie and Oliver wearing the same outfit was fascinating to see.  Lucie was definitely a little scrawnier and had way less hair, but the family resemblance is definitely there!  

I got my FIRST bouquet of flowers in the most Utah vase possible....a Stanley-like cup from SWIG.   The flowers are beautiful and the "vase" is actually far more useful than most vases and I imagine it will get a lot of reuse!    Definitely good thinking on Glen's part!  

I actually don't know if this was Emma's FIRST Galentine's party or not, but it was my FIRST time seeing pictures of one and they made me smile!   It looked like fun and now I want to plan a Galentine's party for next year! 

This was Denali's FIRST grooming appointment where she didn't come out looking totally ridiculous.  It's close to a shave, but not as bad as the last couple times!     We are committed to staying on top of her grooming better in the future, so here's hoping for better hair days ahead for her.  Taking care of  curly hair is no joke! 

I am pleased that, despite my extreme distraction level this past week (writing a talk and having a new grandbaby will do that to me), I am making our FIRST bit of a dent on decluttering our house and beginning the process of potentially selling our house.  It's all still pretty far down the road, but the decluttering needed to happen anyway and I was happy to donate several boxes of clothes and books to DI, 4 boxes of homeschooling books to a new library that's coming to our community, and also to give away a few items on the Buy Nothing group.  Progress is good.

  

On Sunday, I gave my FIRST talk in over 2 years.   There was a point in my life when I rather enjoyed the process of diving into a gospel topic and gathering and sharing my thoughts on it, but I felt VERY out of practice this time around and it was a bit more of a slog.    I did it though, and, while I wouldn't say I necessarily enjoyed it, I didn't hate how it went either.  I got a few texts, emails, and in-person comments after church...some asking for links to resources and quotes, so I guess it was okay at least.   Speaking of which, I received one of my favorite compliments ever after church on Sunday.   One of our Sunday School girls (from when we taught youth Sunday School when we first moved to the ward) came and tracked me down to tell me that she not only liked my talk, but that she really really missed us as her teachers and hoped that we could be her teacher again someday.  It made me very happy!   
 

Yay for lots of FIRSTS!   Have a great week! 

 

 

Marching Onward

 A peek at the last couple weeks, including a little announcement at the end:  

Ellie's been in the Phoenix area staying with a friend from BYU-I, while they work and go on an adventure in a few weeks.  I miss her here at home, but glad she gets this experience...especially since it would be incredibly boring here at home.    Being able to attend a vibrant YSA ward (the one in our community is a bit on the older side), having someone to go to institute and temple prep classes with, and just having a friend to hang out with is a good thing for her.  Not to mention she would have been stuck at home while I head to Alabama soon.

Glen and I went to a ballet performance at BYU of one of Adam's friends from Virginia.  Bella is a stunning dancer...so light and graceful on her feet...and it was a delight to see! 

 I went down to Saint George with Glen not this past week, but the week before.  I enjoyed the milder weather and the opportunity to spend the week with him.  We attended the Saint George temple together for the first time.  It's been closed for renovations for the last few years and only recently reopened.  It's a beautiful temple and I LOVED the colorful celestial room!    Click here to see pictures of it. 

I've been mostly exercising indoors at home (thanks to the wintry weather and all of the  public restrooms being closed for the winter), so I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to walk outside WITHOUT bundling up...

Speaking of Saint George, we are just starting the process of trying to wrap things up up here, so I can join him there permanently.   There are LOTS and LOTS of very complicated emotions  that are involved with starting down this path and I've found myself crying about it more than a few times, but we feel like it's the right way forward.  I imagine it will be a slow process, since getting a house ready to sell is about 1,208,599th on my list of favorite things to do and we have a new grandbaby I'll be trekking to Alabama to meet soon (!!!), but moving boxes have been purchased and the process is beginning.    It may take a long time and we may yet change our minds, but this is the plan for now.  Wish me luck.   I'm going to need it. 

Oh, Happy, Happy Day!

On a hot summer day about 26-1/2 years ago, a friend snapped this picture of us after church just days before I gave birth to Cami.  She was overdue and I remember walking many miles trying to get her to come on her own, but she stubbornly stayed put and had to be induced to come.

Fast forward to early Monday morning and Cami and Garrett snapped this picture on their way to the hospital for Cami to give birth to their second child.    She was scheduled to be induced later that morning, but went into labor on her own and bypassed the waiting time.

A few hours later...Oliver Glen was born. 

Oliver weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz.  and is perfect in every way. Cami had had had some minor health issues pop up during her pregnancy, but overall it was an uneventful labor and delivery. 

We are already completely smitten with sweet little Oliver and can't wait to meet him in a couple weeks (when Garrett's paternity leave is over).   I am over the moon to be on Gigi duty again!

Oh, happy, happy day!

Adam in Oregon!

Adam has been on his mission about 18-months now, which, having only sent out his two sisters before him,  officially means we are entering into unknown territory as far as missionaries go. Two years is seeming like a really long time right about now and I'm eagerly looking forward to August!    It's been a while since I've done a recap on how he's doing (have I ever done one?!),  so here's a little glimpse at the last year-and-a-half of his life.   I'll do it in little sections to break it up: 

THE TEMPLE:  
He is able to attend the Portland Temple once or twice a transfer, which I love.  Cami didn't have a temple in her mission in France and Emma was a COVID missionary, so despite serving in Utah, she only went three times total during the entirety of her mission.  Even though it means that we don't get to communicate with him as much on the p-days he attends the temple, I am just happy he gets to go feel that peace and gain that strength on a regular basis.

THE WEATHER: 
He's serving in Portland and, as such, often has rather unpleasant weather to deal with.   As expected, it rains A LOT and we sent him with waterproof everything.  I'll be interested to hear how it all held up after two years of heavy use.   He doesn't complain about it, so I assume he's keeping pretty dry...most of the time at least!    

  It also gets quite cold sometimes and has random snow/ice storms in the winter, which Portland is not well equipped to navigate.  He and his fellow missionaries recently spent almost an entire week in their apartment due to a pretty severe ice storm, which turned the streets into ice skating rinks and knocked out power to their apartment for a couple days. 

HIS COMPANIONS:

 His current companion, Elder N,  is 6'10" tall...

  

So at a measly 6'2", Adam looks positively short when he's with his companion! 

I never can quite get a full feel for how he's getting along with his companions, but I can tell that he connects with and works better with some than others.  I'll be interested to get the full scoop when he's home and can talk freely about it.  It did seem like Elder S (in the snowy picture above) has been one of his favorites, but what can I tell?!  

ADAM-ISMS: 
Writing was his least favorite subject in school by a mile, and I'll be totally honest, that I've been quite surprised that he is a faithful weekly letter writer.   His letters are informative and bring the spirit into our days!   I also loves that he sends sky, scenery, and animal pictures on a regular basis.  He's definitely a picture taker after his mother's heart!  

 

 

PHONE CALLS: 
I know I've mentioned it before, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE that we live in a day and a time when we can talk to our missionary on a weekly basis!   Cami served her mission entirely before the communication changes were made and it makes such a HUGE difference being able to hear his voice and see his face every week!     We usually manage to get most of the family on at one time for his p-day calls, but usually someone or the other (often Emma, Cami, Glen, or Garrett) are at work and unable to join.    These calls are such a happy part of my week! 

 

QUOTE FROM HIS LAST LETTER:

"This is the Lord's work. This is Jesus Christ's church. If it wasn't, it simply just wouldn't happen. No humans could ever organize this and see as many miracles as there are EVERY DAY!!


One last little spiritual thought this week is going to be the words of the prophet Jacob. He taught:

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts." (Jacob, 6:5)

Turn to God! His arm of mercy is extended towards you! He is quite literally trying to reach you, love you, comfort you, and lift you up!

If you find a way to focus on God a little more this week you will feel that love!

I love you all! I hope you have a great week! Let me know if I can do anything for you all!"

 

OTHER RANDOM STUFF:  
I'll finish up this post with a few random pictures and thoughts.   He got a new mission president (from Ghana) this past summer and I think it's been a great change for Adam.  You can see his mission president and mission mom in this picture. 

Not that there was anything wrong with the former mission president, but I get the impression that the new one has been a blessing for Adam.    He's been a Zone Leader for the last several months, and I think that opportunity for growth and stretching that that calling has given him, has been good. 

He's been in the same area for the last few transfers (longer than any other place on his mission) and it seems that he's really enjoyed being able to get to know the ward and the area better. 

We love this kid and are proud of the sacrifices he's made to serve a mission. 

We've recently got his living situation all figured out for fall semester at BYU, so, despite it seeming like it's still a long ways off,  it's really happening!

  Here's hoping the next six months will fly! 

Dreaming of Postcards!

Anyone who’s been following along with my blog for very long, knows I have a bit of an obsession with postcards. I’ve always loved sending and receiving them—even when I was a child. Then, about 10 years ago, I discovered a postcard exchange website (called Postcrossing) that I decided would be perfect for our homeschooling geography studies. That’s when I really got obsessed. Suddenly I wasn’t limited to only friends and family who’d occasionally think of sending me a postcard when they went somewhere cool. I joined a community of bonafide snail mail lovers who enjoyed sending and receiving postcards as much as I did! I was hooked!

We used it as part of our homeschool geography for a few years, but the kids never got as into it as I did. Somewhere along the way, I embraced it fully as my hobby and haven’t looked back.

Now, my family knows that I will spend a part of every trip we go on, not only looking for postcards, but also places to buy postage and mailboxes to send them from. In the US, finding decent postcards is the hardest part. Usually I can find some in some quirky souvenir shop, but not always. I bring postage with me and just drop them off in the local post office. It’s usually easier to find postcards in foreign countries, but much harder to procure the correct postage and find places to send them from. I try to send postcards to family and friends from every stop on our journeys.

At home, it’s a different story. When life is calm, I generally send 5-10 postcards a week to people on postcrossing ( the postcard exchange website). Just for fun. I sign up for how many postcards I want to send, then get assigned that number of names/addresses. I look at their profiles and pick a postcard I think will suit them. When my postcard is received, the recipient registers the card, and my name/address gets thrown into the mix. So I receive postcards from different people than I send them to. I’m sure the mail deliverer is entertained by the stacks of postcards I sometimes have waiting for me in my mailbox!

Have I ever shown you my postcard files? No? Well, here they are in the drawers of my coffee table...

I've got them organized alphabetically  by subject and can usually find what I'm looking for pretty quickly.   You’d be surprised at the eclectic postcard tastes of some people on the postcrossing website, so my collection is also quite eclectic.  From animals, to insects, to national parks, to books, to food, to weather, to vehicles, to bridges….it is a rare thing for people to stump me with their requests! 

I also have this bin of random postcards --mostly from other countries --that don't quite fit into my other categories.   This bin is  a bit more disorganized, but it definitely has some treasures in there too! 

Then there's my collection of received postcards, which is admittedly a little lame and not worth showing here on the blog.  This may be heresy to some postcard collectors, but I actually weed out my received postcards pretty regularly and just keep my favorites.  

Here is a sampling of my favorite kind of postcard to receive….

On my postcrossing profile, I call them artistic touristy cards and they make me very happy.  They’re also my favorite kind to find when I’m traveling and I’ve been known to walk down touristy streets peeking into souvenir shop after souvenir shop looking for the “right” kind of postcard.  Yes, I married a patient man!  Haha!  

 I also love these Inge Löök Old Lady postcards that make me laugh every time! 

This past week, I was very excited to start receiving a slew of texts from family and friends saying that the last batch of postcards from our Middle East trip were starting to arrive!  It took 2-1/2 months, but they made it! 

And in other exciting postcard news…

CHECK IT OUT!!!! 

I got a postcard FROM FREAKING ANTARCTICA from a friend and I couldn’t be more excited!   😆

Need a boost and want me to add you to my postcard list?! Send me an email or text, and I’ll get you added! 💌