Ice Skating

Took the girls ice skating today. 

Family game time

One of the games Rebekah got for Christmas is called Fibber. Basically, you wear these ugly glasses with a huge purple nose and if you get caught "fibbing" you have to add a piece to your "nose", just like Pinocchio. 

You can see why Rebekah would think it was hilarious.

I was not very good at it. Kept getting caught "fibbing" or falsely accusing others of "fibbing". But it did add to the fun of it. 

Clay and I made a goal to play a game and watch a movie together as a family each day of winter break. We did a pretty good job of it most days. A couple of days we only had time for one or the other. I hope the girls have good memories of spending time together.

Merry Christmas

Can you tell how excited the girls are for Christmas?!!

 The girls and I gave each other manis and pedis for Christmas. 

I crocheted ponchos for the girls (and Rebekah's doll) for Christmas.  

 The only sad thing that happened on Christmas is that my camera bounced off the couch and onto the carpet landing right on the lens. It broke the lens motor. The lens is now stuck halfway out and won't take anymore pictures. Luckily, Clay and I both have new phones. We both whipped out our phones and took the rest of the Christmas morning photos with them. Grateful that we have phones that take decent photos.

Christmas Cookies

The girls always want to make fresh cookies for Santa. 

They usually want to make sugar cookies. 

 I don't like making sugar cookies. It's a ton of work and an even bigger clean-up. So I always assign this task to Clay. Good quality father-daughters time. I helped decorate one of two, and answered recipe questions from the other room.

I think their desire for sugar cookies started with Grandad. Here are some pictures from 2006. Bruce & Kris came to visit after Rebekah was born. Grandad & Emma spent an afternoon making sugar cookies together. Emma loved it!
Look how little she was!

Sleepy Girl

When we went in to check on Rebekah this is where we found her. The tried sleeping inside her pillowcase, hence the pillow sans pillowcase. The next morning I asked her why she was sleeping in the chair. She replied, "Because it was warmer". Not sure I follow that logic. 

She has had many adventures in sleeping. Here are some links to previous posts on the subject.

A little night humor

Sleeping better

(This last one has links to more of the funny ones.)

Video Evidence

Just some words of advice.

When you know you are doing something that you are NOT allowed to do

DO NOT take a video showing evidence of the crime.

Play date partners in crime.

Snow Angel

 We got just enough snow for Rebekah to go out and make a snow angel.

She also got this birthday gift from Grandma Kris. An outfit for her doll.

Kris made the pants, shirt, and jacket. She also knit the hat, scarf and purse.

She did an amazing job!

Holiday Recital

Emma had another piano recital.

This time it was held in the middle of the shopping mall just outside of Nordstroms. 

It was fun and unique experience. 

She played Hall of the Mountain King and Greensleeves. 

DAR Open House

We love the DAR Open House because of this guy.

The BEST Santa anywhere.

I heard him saying "I can see that you want your two front teeth for Christmas, but is there something else you would like".

 This year they had a chorus group singing. 

I always love to see how they decorated the trees.

And Rebekah's favorite is going to the children's discovery area to "make butter".  

 We also stopped by the CAR museum. 

It's about time

We have graduated from dumb-phones for smartphones. 

Look how big those things are compared to our old phones!!

Notice the crack on the screen of the black phone. 

That happened about a week after I got it...3 years ago!

This is what I had before that.

Our main reason for switching is because we realized that we were using our cell phones a lot more now. 

Mainly, the amount of texting that Clay was doing for his calling at church (Elders Quorum President). I refused to text anything more than Yes, No, or OK. It just wasn't fun to turn off the crazy auto spell, then hit each keypad number multiple times to get to the right letter. But I would make long calls to my mom or someone while I was out. I have also been using an iPod Touch to keep my calendar, contacts, and other fun stuff. 

We made a spread sheet and looked at how often we were "topping-off" our pay-as-you-go phones and realized it was more often that we thought. We asked around and looked at a few different plans and finally decided on Ting. We bought our refurbished phones on eBay. Clay figured out that even adding in the cost of our phones to our monthly bill Ting was cheaper than our old plan.

Advent Calendar

I finally made my advent calendar. And just in time!

Close to My Heart had a kit they sold last year. I loved the idea but didn't like the colors the kit came with. All of my Christmas decorations are blue with white and silver snowflakes. So I did my own design.

All the snowflake and numbers are CTMH stamps. I used their White Daisy ink to stamp the snowflakes. 

Special thanks to Michelle Jones for cutting out the boxes on her cricut and letting me come to her house for a few hours to work on it.

Santa Claus is coming to town...

I love that we can be so close to Washington DC and all the benefits of a major metropolitan area.

Yet still live in a town that keeps that small town feeling.

A favorite tradition is the fire department decorating one of their trucks and riding through the neighborhoods with Santa and Rudolph waving on top. 

We are always the first neighborhood they come to. And it usually comes earlier than I remember to think about it. I am always grateful to my local facebook friends who post that Santa just past their house.

Rebekah and I ran out just in time to see him coming up the street. Then they turn left to go down a cul-de-sac. They pass by again to go down the street on the right. 

The other fun part is our neighbors always run out of their house the same time we do. We get to chat for a while before we decide it's too cold and run back inside.

The fish

These are some better pictures of Rebekah's new pet fish. 

She named him Dr. Angel. 

She wanted to name him Angel. Then Emma pointed out that this was a male betta. So she added the Dr. to his name. Then said "but girls can be doctors too". 

I have determined that it is not easy to take a picture of a small fish swimming around a tank.

Happy Birthday Rebekah

Today Rebekah is 7 years old!

We opened presents in the morning. Went to see Frozen in the movie theater. Stopped at the pet store to pick out a betta fish. Then finished the day with cake and ice cream with a couple of friends.

Leaves & Rainbow

The girls came running in the house to tell me there was a smile in the sky. 

I came out to find this upside-down rainbow right over our house. Pretty cool. 

 Clay spent the morning raking up the leaves on our yard. 

Rebekah then went leaping into the pile. After finishing with the raking, a wind storm came up and blew all of our neighbor's un-raked leaves into our yard. :(

Another funeral

Just a two days before we left for Adeanya's funeral we learned that a family in our ward (or congregation) lost their baby girl. She was just 2-1/2 months old and died in her sleep from SIDS. The family was on vacation while the father stayed at home working. Clay visited the father to comfort him as he prepared to drive down to be with his family. Clay then had the task of informing the ward of what had happened.

Just two days after we returned from visiting with Clay's family and remembering the life of his grandmother, he was asked by the family to speak at the funeral for their baby girl. He had less than 2 days to prepare.

I sat in the services and was so impressed by what Clay said. I had not read it beforehand yet we had talked about some ideas. Our thoughts had been on life and mortality and what happens next for some time now. Our feelings were still tender from the loss of his grandmother. As I listened to Clay speak I felt I needed to share it here on my blog. This is not what I normally do. But I know I need to share it. I hope you take the time to read through what he said. 

1.      Introduction & Acknowledgment
a.      Good morning. I am thankful to be here with the (names removed) families, and with you all, Brothers & Sisters in the Gospel and in the Family of God. My name is Clay Hunt and I am currently the Elders Quorum President of the Potomac Crossing Ward where (names removed) and their children attend church. Their family has asked me to share a few words about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the comfort it provides to them at such a difficult time as this. I am humbled to be asked and to be trusted to share such words. I pray that the Power of the Holy Ghost will be with me and continue to be with all of us at this time.

2.      The Gospel is a great comfort – Good news
a.      As I spoke with (the father) about what words or phrases or scriptures have come to mind at this challenging time, he responded that his knowledge of the overall Gospel of Jesus Christ and the summation of its parts have been of great comfort to him.
b.      The Gospel is indeed Good News. When the angel appeared to the shepherds on the night of Christ’s birth, he said: “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
c.      The Apostle John summarized the Good News of the Gospel when he declared: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

3.      Abraham and the Covenant
a.      Abraham, the great prophet of the Old Testament, made covenants with God when he received the gospel, received the Priesthood, and when he received the covenant of eternal marriage. In these covenants, God promised great blessings to Abraham and all his descendants The Lord promised Abraham that “in thee, and in thy seed after thee…shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.” These blessings, which extend to all of Abraham's seed, are called the Abrahamic covenant. Even with our understanding of [the Gospel], we can scarcely envision the magnitude of that promise the Lord made to Abraham.

4.      The Temple and the Sealing Power
a.      The (names removed) Family has also received this covenant, even as Abraham received it. Today a man and a woman can enter sacred temples dedicated for this purpose, and receive the sealing ordinance (or eternal marriage), which unites them as husband and wife not only in this life but for all eternity, and unites the children born to them with that same sealing power.

5.      (names removed) – Married in the D.C. Temple on (date removed)
a.      When (names removed) entered the Washington, D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on (date removed), they were sealed together as husband and wife. The children born to them (names removed) were born into that covenant and are entitled to all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They have all received the promise that their family relationship can continue ‘through all eternity and shall be of full force when they are out of the world’ (D&C 132:19).

6.      The Atonement of Jesus Christ
a.      From the Book of Mormon, Alma Chapter 38 Verse 5 we read: And now, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (Alma 38:5)
b.      Why do we put our faith and trust in God and in His Son Jesus Christ? It is because of his Atonement, the promise of the Resurrection for all men, women, and children, and the promise of eternal life for those who put their faith in Christ and endure in that faith to the end of their lives.
c.      The Book of John in the New Testament records the following conversation: 
           i.      23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

          ii.      24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

          iii.      25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

          iv.      26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

7.      The scriptures contain great words of comfort about what happens to the spirits of the righteous between death and the resurrection, and after the resurrection. They are contained in the 40^th Chapter of the Book of Alma in the Book of Mormon.
a.      11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
b.       12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.
c.       21 until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.
d.      23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.
e.      25 And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God.

8.      The scriptures also make special mention of the promises extended to Little Children and those who die without a knowledge of the Gospel. In the 8^th Chapter of Moroni in the Book of Mormon, we read:
a.      8 Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them.
b.      12 little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world.
c.       In the book of Luke, Jesus says, speaking of little children, “for of such is the kingdom of God.”

9.      For those of us who remain and continue on in life, what is our motivation? It is to live faithfully, that we might be reunited and live forever as a family with our loved ones who have gone on before us. As we remember (name removed), let us remember that Jesus exhorts us many times in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon to ‘be as a little child’.
a.      Matthew 18: 1-4

          i.      1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

          ii.       2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

          iii.       3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

           iv.       4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
b.      Mosiah 3:19

          i.      19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
c.       Moroni 8:10

          i.      10 Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.

10.  In the most recent General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, said:
a.      In striving for some peace and understanding in these difficult matters, it is crucial to remember that we are living—and chose to live—in a fallen world where for divine purposes our pursuit of godliness will be tested and tried again and again. Of greatest assurance in God’s plan is that a Savior was promised, a Redeemer, who through our faith in Him would lift us triumphantly over those tests and trials, even though the cost to do so would be unfathomable for both the Father who sent Him and the Son who came. It is only an appreciation of this divine love that will make our own lesser suffering first bearable, then understandable, and finally redemptive.”
b.      Elder Holland continued: “So how do you best respond when mental or emotional challenges confront you or those you love? Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend. As President Thomas S. Monson said: “That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.” Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart. Faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life. Seek the counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being. Ask for and cherish priesthood blessings. Take the sacrament every week, and hold fast to the perfecting promises of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead.”

11.  Brothers & Sisters, I want to close by sharing my testimony with you. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and living and real! God’s love is always there for you. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we will all one day be Resurrected. And if we are faithful, and humble ourselves as a little child, and follow our Lord and Savior to the end of our mortal life, we will know the joy of spending eternity with our loved ones in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Tic-Tac-Toe

That's our new name for Rebekah. 

She is missing 3 teeth in a row.

And here are the other pictures I took while trying to get a good smile out of her.