Going South

I wasn't sure we would be able to pull it off, but with my buddy Song Hee taking Clara, my mom taking Benjamin, and Craig getting the kids off to school, I woke up at 3:30am and met Sariah at the top of 176th street in Langley and we headed to the temple. The last few times Craig has gone with the stake I have stayed home with the gang. I thought if I could squeeze a quick trip in before all the Festival of Nativity's bullet train leaves the station I would be in such a better place. Good decision. We had such a wonderful time discussing all of the joys and heartaches of motherhood, wifehood, and lifehood. We were home just in time to pick the kids up from school and back we were into the grind before we could blink!

A Little Lesson:
It's like diving into the deep end of a cool refreshing pool on a hot summer day. You no longer hear the squeals and laughter on the surface, it's quiet. You float slowly and purposefully and can hear yourself thinking. Not much has changed but everything feels different. When you finally come to the surface, you think...let's do that again.

Phone Call

A woman named Grace phoned her friend who was a lawyer, who phoned his friend who owned a charity, who told his wife who thought of me and I got a phone call. "Shelley," she said, "There is a film company who is getting rid of all of their costumes and they have many shepherd/wiseman looking authentic costumes that you may have for free if you are able to go down to the set right away...if your interested." Clara didn't have time to buckle her shoes I was in the car so fast and zoomed to a lot underneath the 2nd narrows bridge. My eyes could hardly believe what I beheld. A huge warehouse full of clothes from the movies as a wonderful lady named Grace said to me..."take whatever you need.' How it is possible for us to be blessed in such intricately orchestrated ways is beyond my comprehension. Although I have Rachel and Gail working hard at helping me get costumes ready for this upcoming event, offsetting their work by having twenty robes/sashes and gear already done is an unbelievably a heavy load lifted off my shoulders.

A Little Lesson:
I didn't even know what it was that I needed to pray for these days as I could feel the grip of this upcoming event getting tighter and tighter around me. I was worried about many things that desparately needed to come together if we were going to be successful. I am indeed grateful for prayers answered in ways I would have never begun to ask for...it was a blessing beyond belief. I feel humble and deeply grateful.

Happy Sighs

A Little Lesson:
Every time I bath Benjamin in the sink my kids reminisce. "I used to bath in the sink, didn't I Mom?" "Yep." And then they sigh like it was the good ol' days long forgotten. Benjamin is actually a walking scrapbook for each of my children. When I snuggle, sing to, turn upside down, or eat his toes, my children will often say..."Mom did you used to do that with me?" Their favourite answer..."of course" More happy sighs. It's good to be an older sibling.

Scenic Route

I though I would answer Judy's question from yesterday's blog...what do you do that makes car time so productive. What do I do ? Everything.

We sing.
Plan our upcoming days.
Talk about bad stuff that happens at school.
Talk about good stuff that happens at school.
Play skill testing questions games.
Sing silly songs we make up.
I fill them in on current events so they know what's going on in the world.
I point out things we see in Vancouver that reminds me of cool stories.
I ask Clara her letters, Emily multiplication and Jordan tricky spelling or geography.
I ask them questions that make them talk...a lot.
I review lessons we learned in Family Home Evening.
I review discipline they've received and how they feel now time has past.

If it's just Clara we count using a cookie monster voice, sing made up songs about cats, tell me your favourite part of _______. If it's Jordan and Emily I ask them provocative questions like is there anyone in your class that ever gets in trouble... Or if you could change three things about your life....they love to talk. If I could, I would host family home evening, church and dinner in the car. The kids are sitting in one spot, buckled in, with a scenic view out the window. I rarely turn the radio on and zone out. Did I mention the buckled in and can't move part? That's my favourite part. Next to sitting on their bed just before going to sleep, I think it is one of the most "I like to share how I really feel" times we've got going.

A Little Lesson:
The scenic view in life is really what you choose to look at. I took these picture a few weeks ago on a rainy day coming home from the academy, a drive I take many many times a month. If you look at the rain pouring down and the rush hour traffic it doesn't seem so scenic. However, if you notice the beautiful changing autumn trees all the way home, you would see how marvelous the drive home really is! They lined every street we drove down. So much so I grabbed my camera to take pictures while driving. For the record, I just held my camera up and pressed the button, I didn't look into the view finder or anything like that. (That disclaimer is for my husband.)

Pooling of the Car

We are in the thick of soccer practices these days. Jordan was selected with eleven other kids to play on what is called the Douglas Park Gold team last spring. About 85 kids tried out just before summer and they whittled it down to a team of twelve, in four separate competitive tryouts. This is his second year with this very dedicated and committed soccer club. With the little daylight we have left we were still practicing down the street from our home, which made two practices a week and a game every Saturday not feel too involved. However, as it is pitch black by 4:30pm these days, we now have to drive across town to get to some of the lit fields he will practice at until the spring. Across town means 30-40 minutes in the car each way. Usually if there is a committed kid on a committed team there is a committed mother standing off in the distance behind that kid, and in our case three other little committed people who are actually unaware of their commitment. In an effort not to have my younger children spend two afternoons a week inside a car for two hours while it rained, I did what every mother does when she needs to streamline her intricately scheduled life...set up some carpooling. I B-lined to another mom in the parking lot and after a quick "you know where I live, and I know where you live" conversation, we were in business!

A Little Lesson:
One lesson I know for sure, juggling piano, soccer, violin, scouts, cello and theory means learning to make your time in a car with your kids, productive, enjoyable and fun.

Gone to Bed

(Mary and Joseph stopped by a few nights ago.)

Every night this week after the kids go to bed, little groups of talented people will come over to my home and learn, practice and polish their songs. Yesterday, I sat in front of most of the people who will perform in the Festival of Nativities for our first finale rehearsal. They sounded spectacular. I am so grateful for this group of people. They love the gospel as much as I do and seem just as committed and willing to share their testimonies through their music as I do. What a treat to work with such people. Especially when you consider how unconventional I am when it comes to music, printing music, and composing music. My philosophy: the sheet music just reminds us what piece we're playing, now lets get playing so we can go and find the really good notes.

A Little Lesson:
Thank you Jordan, Emily, Clara and Benjamin for being such expert going to bedders these past few weeks. When you read this in twenty years from now, I want you to know it was this bedtime talent you have all developed that made it possible for mommy to serve the Lord.

Never Prepared

It's monster weekends like this one that no amount of preparation can really prepare you for the endurance required to execute Halloween and Stake Conference all in 72 short hours...

Friday:
Halloween...costumes, hair spray, candy apples, twenty five guests, clean up etc.
Saturday:
Putting final touches on nativity finale score.
Tackle post Halloween party mess.
Post Halloween blog video.
Go to Safeway for the red onion I forgot to buy at Superstore.
Put finishing touches on hymn arrangement for stake conference.
Jordan's soccer game.
Make buns and salad for stake presidency dinner.
Mount creche posters on large red backdrops.
Go to stake center early: rehearse with Julie,
cook risen buns illegally in church kitchen,
serve meal, set up mini creche display in both foyers,
listen to adult session of stake conference,
stay up really late getting ready for my first creche
rehearsal following stake conference the next day.
Sunday:
Wake up ridiculously early, tweak and print score for finale for creche rehearsal.
Run through musical number for stake conference.
Pack stake conference bag with things Clara and Benjamin haven't seen before.
Get all the gang dressed and ready for church.
Go early to meet with Julie to run through song one more time in the Relief Society room.
Sit through two hours of spiritually uplifting talks, including the one from my dear mate,
all while keeping our pew to a dull roar.
Accompany the exceptionally talented Julie D. on the piano as she sang Now Let Us All Rejoice.
Running my first creche rehearsal with all our cast and choir following conference.
Headed over to Milad's to pick up my older kids and eat their delicious food.
Head over to mom's to pick up my little guy and eat their delicious food.
I'm home exhausted and going to bed in three minutes.

A Little Lesson:
I love, and I mean LOVE in capital letters turning my clock back for daylight savings!

Change of Heart

The weening of the hallo is over and we are heading back to normal. It felt like we spent over a week trying on different costumes, wigs and gettups I will be grateful to put the bins away for another year. For us Canadians it's an open road to what I look forward to most...Christmas!

A Little Lesson:
It's official. I am starting to fall in love with Halloween. I used to boo hoo it (what a pun) because of it's connections to evil and dark and pagan worship and all that mumbo jumbo. I'm not sure when I went from 'this is so cool' as a kid to 'this is so evil' stuffy old person. I have had a complete change of heart. It is the one time a year, neighbours come out of their houses and wave to each other, and smiling children flood the streets with their parents. You see the moms of the kids at school and their teachers and their dentists and that neighbour you always see in the car, all weaving in and out of the neighbourhood. It was heart warming to see so many adults, even during economic hard times, standing in front of the halloween candy section at Superstore picking up bags and bags of sweets that they will share with total strangers who come to their door. It is actually a holiday of giving...

Guests

I am having a

bumble bee,
hippie,
unicorn,
mad scientist,
and cat-witch
for breakfast.
Chocolate chip pancakes
are cooking on the stove.
My guests are still sleeping...
not for long.

A Little Lesson:
I love mornings
where everyone wakes up happy,
no musical instruments to practice,
no chores to remind them about,
spiking hair and putting on make up
is the task at hand.

Halloween

I am not a big fan of this holiday, but I've grown to love it through the growing excitement my kids display each year as it comes up on the calendar.

I do love:
pumpkins
harvest things
candy apples
trick'r'treating
autumn
friendly costumes

I can hardly stand:
haunted houses
goblins and gore
spookiness and darkness
scary stories
blood, guts and violence

but it's not all about me.


A Little Lesson:
After more hours than I would like to admit composing music, I felt that Clara and I were up for a Halloween craft. I found this one on my buddy Judy's blog and we had a great time making a family of friendly ghosts. We forgot to put the arms in but Clara didn't seem to mind.

You're All Invited

I would like to extend an invitation to all of you out there in blogland to come to our Festival of Nativities which will be held on November 27, 28, 29, from 10am to 9pm. All the music I have been frantically composing for the past two months on this blog will be performed in the evening, in the performance of The Nativity...those who were there, each night from 7:30-8:30. Hundreds of nativities from all over the world, will be on display in a breath-taking winter Bethlehem scene. We also provide meals for many charities and less fortunate groups who come to see the sights and have a hot meal. I know many of my blogland friends live far away, but with gas coming down, flights have really come down in price. (Just kidding....sort of.)

A Little Lesson:
We plan all year, we rent lighting equipment, we set up for five days, we have hundreds of members who volunteer their time to come and tie bows, hang lights, straighten garland, musicians rehearse for weeks, over fifty artificial trees are assembled in the gym, pass-a-long-cards are distributed to thousands and thousands of people and then it happens. The old brick stake center transforms. There is an incredible peaceful feeling that takes over the building, everywhere you go. Everywhere you look the birth of our Lord and Savior is celebrated. His humble entrance into this world has been captured by the hands of so many faithful followers. Every ornament, every swag, every wreath and every little figurine seems to become more beautiful. The feeling is at times more than I can bear and I walk around with mascara running down my face. I love this event. One month to go.

The Mouse Will Play

Last Friday morning the kids had a professional day. We opened up our multiple bins of costumes and dress up clothing and they all went to town. After many costume changes, Emily decided she was going to dress in black and be a witch. She likes things to be simple. She wore the costume all weekend. She wore it to breakfast, to dinner, before church, after church, she hardly took it off. Clara watched carefully. Her eyes gave her away. Oh how she wanted to try it on....just for a minute. When Emily headed off to school yesterday morning, Clara was no where to be found. Mmmmmm. While I was on the computer I heard from the stairs, "Mom take my picture." She was in heaven, twirling around. Look at me point my toes mom. Look at my wrench wand mom. Look how my red hair looks mom. When the cat's away...you know what they say!

A Little Lesson:
This really has very little to do with a witches costume and everything to do with the impact and influence of a BIG sister.

The Beach

(When you click on the pictures you can see the sailboats and the seagulls.)

The day before we left for Disneyland we headed to the beach. The music academy, where we take our lessons, happens to be across the street from one of our local beauties, so sometimes in between lessons we head for the sand. No one ever complains about this pit stop. In fact, I think we always leave this place feeling a little better. There is just something about the ocean!

A Little Lesson:
I love the ocean. I love how it smells. I love how vast, deep and endless it is. When I look at it from the beach I always feel humble. The blessing of having the music academy across from the beach means we can go there for no special occasion. Next to the clouds, it is one of the great creations that makes me wonder how it is possible people do not believe there is a God?

Still Little

Jordan announced:
"I think I'm going work on putting together my survival first aid kit for scouts."
I responded:
"Sounds great!" as I continued to work on my calling.

He proudly gets started.
"Mom where's some bouillon cubes?"
In the cupboard above the kid's sink.
"Mom where are the matches?"
In the drawer where the candles are.
"How do I waterproof them?"
Put some nail polish on the end of them.
"Where's the nail polish?"
Hold on, I'll get it.
"Do we have aluminum foil?"
It's the same as tin foil.
"How much is five meters?"
Hold on, I'll show you.
"Is adhesive tape the same as normal tape?"

At this point I stopped what I was doing and realized my brand new scouter, excited to work on this 1st assignment on his own, was really saying "Mom, I need to make a survival first aid kit and I need you to find everything on the list because I'm just a kid and don't know where any of these things are!"

A Little Lesson:
We complain they grow up too fast. We moan when they grow out of their clothes. We wish they would stay little forever. One day he will do these assignments on his own and I will not be part of the equation. One day he will know how to waterproof matches, how long five meters is and what adhesive tape is. I am glad I am still a big part of his little life and this wont last forever!

Practicing

Yesterday my good buddy Karen came over for a visit and brought her beautiful girls. Although Elisa and Emily haven't seen each other for a long time they instantly became fast friends and before you know it Elisa was Emily's guitar coach. After they left, Emily spent more time practicing her newly acquired guitar riffs than a whole weeks worth of Bach minuets practiced on the violin. There is just something about 'when your friends do it' that makes even practicing cool.

A Little Lesson:
I know that I am part of a large group of parents that share the same plight. We live in probably every country, speak every language and I would guess there are perhaps millions and millions of us. We are the parents of children who have to practice something every day. I've only been doing this for nine years, so I am in no way an expert. However, I do believe the best way to look at the journey is exactly that....a journey. Sometimes the road is smooth, paved and and straight and other times there are road blocks, speed bumps, pot holes and detours. My theory, just keep on going. Don't worry where you are on your journey, or certainly where others are in theirs, just keep on traveling and you will eventually get somewhere.

Disneyland Video

A Little Lesson:
Taking a thousand pictures on my digital camera at Disneyland was not hard at all. I prefer candid shots to poses so it didn't take a lot of coaxing out of my kids either. I hardly ever said the words "say cheese". It also didn't cost anymore for me to take a thousand than it did if I only took a hundred. However, I paid the real price last night and early this morning as I had to wade through a mountain of shots to put together our family vacation video. Normally this process takes just over an hour to throw pictures into our movie maker and add a song. Not so much. I will keep this in mind when we head to the Grand Canyon in four years from now.

Waiting

I have had to be patient, as all of my Disney photo's are resting comfortably on Craig's computer (which took over and hour to upload!) so late last night he transferred them over to my computer. Hopefully today I will be able to find a minute to put them together and our Disneyland trip will be complete.

A Little Lesson:
Pictures of my childhood are somewhat scarce, but pictures of our family vacations, Halloween night and Christmas are plentiful. That was just the way it was back then. Why would you take a picture of a child's Holly Hobbie wall paper, or the lunch kits we used to use, or the outfit we wore in grade three practically every single day because we loved it so much. Oh what I would do to see those things again. Thank you again for blogland, a place where ordinary life is special enough to keep track of and recorded...even the little, hardly noticeable parts of our lives, that will one day be cherished and fondly remembered when we are old and grey.

Behind

Yesterday I felt behind in practically every area of my life. Laundry, unpacking, preparing for the Festival of Nativities, practicing my children, pictures of the trip, grocery shopping, phoning so and so about so and so, visiting teaching, Halloween and on and on and on. Feeling behind isn't pleasant, and playing catch up isn't fun. However, I started thinking about our vacation and decided that's just the way it goes when you go away for eleven days. The part that I think get's us women discouraged is the idea if we were to have been perfectly organized we would have left our homes, and lives perfectly prepared and planned so that eleven days away didn't disrupt even a minute of our harmoniously flowing schedules. Not so much. The adversary's most powerful tool is discouragement. That somehow, if our lives today are not what we expected or asked for or wanted, we should be unhappy. I find the best counter attack for discouragement is gratitude. Yes, this and that could be better or different, but this, this, this and that over there are pretty good and so be thankful. Gratitude melts discouragement away. I am off to do laundry.

A Little Lesson:
The novelty of sitting at a table while traveling 100 kilometers and hour was pretty enticing to my kids, so much so, that they finished all their math/writing assignments that their teachers gave them within the first two days of our holiday. When they came home from their first day back at school I asked if they were behind in anything. Jordan replies, "no, I'm about 20 pages ahead in math." Emily interrupts, "hey so am I!" Clearly I am alone in my sentiments this morning.

Celine

My mom bought Celine Dion tickets for her three girls, their husbands, and dad for Christmas last year and so three hours after we got home from Disneyland we unloaded, got showered and off we went to see the superstar in action. She sure knows how to put on a show! Technically I think she is one of the most talented singers walking the planet. The power she can command out or her pipes is something to behold. Jenn and I giggled at all the die-hard Celine fans who sat in awe mouthing all the words to her songs. We spent the first few minutes while waiting for the show to start, what were her songs again? We kept getting confused with Whitney Houston. It was a fun evening out. Thanks Mom!

A Little Lesson:
We got home just after midnight and it feels like this ride of playing and holidaying is finally coming in for a landing. Normal life here we come! It's good to be home.

Final Stop

We started our going home adventure on Saturday morning and arrived in Olympia at Craig's parent's house on Sunday evening around 7pm. This is our final stop before we arrive home tomorrow, where we will return to the land of work, chores, housework, homework, lessons, practicing, callings, appointments and apparently lots of rain. That is part of what makes a holiday so magical. Mickey Mouse, fairy dust and 200-mile-an-hour rides help...for sure....but taking a little break from the daily grind with the gang is just so great. Would we do the RV thing again? Absolutely. Is it more ecomical...not exactly, but sort of. Here is my breakdown....

Advantages:
Stop, go, pause, continue on, take a break, detour whenever you want.
Home-cooked hot meals through-out the trip (serious savings)
Driving while playing Disney Monopoly at a table...really cool.
It makes the 'travel' part of the trip...part of the holiday.
"I have to go!" is no longer an issue while on those long stretches of highway.
Sleeping in a house on wheels is pretty neat.
The RV park was clean, had a pool, laundry and the people were super friendly.

Disadvantages:
Gas prices only keep going up.
You have to hook this hose up to flush everything out...apparently it wasn't so bad.
(I never did it so it seemed pretty good to me!)
You need to take more time off work because of all the travel time (unlike flying)

We've planned four more big RV trips that we will take over the next ten years.

A Little Lesson:
More economical? These days travelling is expensive no matter how you slice it, especially with four kids in tote. I spent many early mornings researching where we would go. We had put off the big family vacation for so many years because we had put so much energy and funds into home rennovations, and we kept having babies! It is far more enjoyable to go on a vacation when it is planned, saved for and you are not nursing. I am happy to say we have finally gone and done what we talked about for so many years.

For the Record

One day we wont remember all the fun we had so I just want a record somewhere we can look back....

Disneyland:
Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Mark Twain Riverboat, Big Thunder Ranch, Splash Mountain, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Jungle Cruise, Tarzan's Treehouse, Chip and Dale Treehouse, Goofy's Playhouse, Mickey's House, Minnie's House, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Alice in Wonderland, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Dumbo, Disney Princess Fantasy Faire, King Arthur Carrousel, Mad Tea Party, Matterhorn Bobsled, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Pinocchio's Daring Journey,
Astro Orbitor, Autopia, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Parade of Dreams
California Adventure:
Monsters Inc, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Muppet Vision 3D, Tough to be a Bug, Flik's Fun Fair, Francis Ladybug Boogie, Princess Dot Puddle Park, Tuck and Roll Drive Em Buggies, Toy Story Midway Mania, California Screamin' Maliboomer, Mullholland Madness Coaster, Orange Stinger, Golden Zephyr, King Carousel, SS Rustworthy, Grizzly River Run, Brother Bear, Soarin' Over California, Play Parade

Character Signatures:
Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Mickey, Buzz, Jack Skellingtun, Sally, Chip, Dale, Fairy Godmother, Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, Jasmine, Peter Pan, Aerial, Sleeping Beauty, and Max!

A Little Lesson:
I know that keeping records of our lives usually revolves around significant dates, ordinances, and events. The rides we rode at Disneyland? Well...at least I put them in small print.

Highlight

(This picture I found online does not do it justice!)

I love a great roller coaster. The faster the better. California screamer and Space Mountain were for sure my favourite rides...until I did Soarin' over California. It was practically the last thing we did and thank goodness we did. You sit in a mechanically altered hang gliding like chair that soars over a giant screen and you get to fly directly over some of the earth's greatest sights from the eye of an eagle. Wind blows in your face, familiar scents waft past you as you soar over orange groves and sandy beaches. It was one of the most magical things I have ever done. In my life I have probably had about twenty really vivid 'flying dreams' where you wake up and truly felt like you flew. This ride was, as they say... a dream come true. When asked what animal would you like to be, I always say a bird. To top it off, Dave my Disney Movie animating friend worked on this ride! How often do you get to sit next to the guy who designed a ride while riding the ride! It was such a highlight.

A Little Lesson:
While standing in line and reminiscing about living in beautiful British Columbia Judy says to me, "when I think of BC it makes me think that surely God's favourite colour is green!" I love thinking of it that way. When you ride a ride like this one and see creation in such a giant way it makes you wonder if God had a hard time deciding what His favourite colour was with the blue sky, green forests, tan sandy beaches, orange groves, purple vineyards, and the black night sky. Breathtaking!

Say Goodbye

Last night we said good-bye to Disneyland and truly left the park in style. We spent the day riding rides and seeing shows with Judy and Dave and their kids. Dave and Craig talked, Judy and I laughed, Emily and Alex became very fast friends, and Kate and Clara became partners in crime. It's fun to be at Disneyland with a buddy! Then we headed to the famous need-a-reservation-two-months-before-you-come restaurant Goofy's Kitchen. It was pretty incredible. Goofy, Pluto, Fairy-God-Mother, Minnie, Aladdin, Chip and Dale practically sit down and eat with you. They each come and spend time chatting, signing autographs, taking pictures and playing with the kids while your kids are eating all-you-can-eat peanut butter and jelly pizza, scrumptious macaroni and cheese, chicken strips galore and a dessert buffet that makes them all gasp! Then we all headed to the Downtown Disney to finally get our souvenirs. We decided last Monday when we started this adventure we would look at all the souvenirs in all the many stores and wait until the final night to have a miniature 'shopping spree' to purchase a few of the fantastical little things they saw along the way. It was hard for my kids to wait but when it was finally time to buy they really knew what they wanted.

A Little Lesson:
I was proud of Jordan and Emily who had to dig deep and use all the patience they could muster as everywhere you look in Disneyland there is something to buy. Practically every ride ends with a gift shop that is filled with merchandise based on the adventure you just had. For five days, I promised them it would be worth the wait...and it was. The skill of waiting for things in a must-have-it-now world is one that is hard to develop. Since the invention of the credit card, waiting has become a lost art. However, most of life's sweetest rewards have come to those who have learned to just be patient and wait.

Only at Disneyland

Only at Disneyland do you see...

- grown adults who hold down respectable jobs as chiropractors, lawyers, orthodontists, teachers, landscapers and accountants wearing brightly coloured mouse ears on a Tuesday at 11am. (even without children by their side)

-bottled-water for the same price as a kids meal at McDonald's.

-a line with fifty people in it and you instantly yell..."YES!!! - there's no line...come on!!!

- a piece of garbage innocently fall from your stroller only to be swept up by a friendly man all dressed in white who came out of no where, before you have time to bend over and pick it up.

-a parade worth standing for over ninety minutes in a good spot to get a great view.

-rides that make you scream, characters that make you laugh, fireworks that make you gasp, pineapple sticks that make you drool, and magic everywhere you look!

A Little Lesson:
If you haven't gone to Disneyland in a really long time...consider it!

Day Off!

The pool at the RV park...so refreshing!

After two hard going days at the Land we took a day of swimming, movies and playground time and more swimming to just relax and take it easy. Disneyland is hard work! I have so many comments about so many things but I am without my pictures for the moment, so I will have to hang on for my pontifications. Tomorrow we will head back for two more hard working days of rides, shows, treats, characters and magic!

A Little Lesson:
A little vacation within the vacation with all the travel and fair-going we are truly refreshed and ready to rumble. I want to remember this manoeuvre for future vacations...it was brilliant.

Smooth Sailing

No ride break downs today, just blissful smooth disney magic sailing. The stroller pass combined with the Fastpass with a sweet pair of walkie talkies and you've got yourself a perfect disney day. We conquered Tommorowland, Critttercountry, New Orleans and Adventureland and a well-timed trip to Princess Fantasy Faire for pictures with the princesses. Jordan loved the Indiana Jones ride, Emily is still loving getting all the signatures (Buzz, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Aladdin, Snow White, Aerial, Pluto, Dale, Jack Skellingtun, Sally, Donald) Clara loved wearing her Cinderella dress and sitting with the princesses, Benjamin loved having his daddy hold him in his arms most of the day, I loved bringing frozen drinks from the motorhome so we had refreshing cold liquid all day long and Craig and I decided we could ride Space Mountain for the rest of the trip!

A Little Lesson:
We arrived back at the RV totally and completely exhausted. I'm convinced the expression 'running on adrenaline' was coined by a parent at Disneyland.

Signatures

We got the kids some autograph books and they have become super sleuths trying to find Disney characters walking around the park. So far they've seen Peter Pan, Kruella DeVille, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy. The rides are exciting, but standing next to Minnie mouse with her adorable red polka-dotted dress brought my children's eyes almost our of their heads! They are now desparate for as many signatures as they can find. I keep telling them I will give them mine...they don't seem to want it.

A Little Lesson:
Clara, standing tall in line to get a signature for her book, with a furrowed brow and worried face asks me..."MOM does Minnie mouse know her letters???" I reasurred her that although she was a big movie star, she had taken the time to get her education, and yes she knew her letters and would be able to sign her book. You really never know what is going on in our children's heads.

Stuck

We saved our pennies since January, booked the RV in March, planned our route south in August, went camper food shopping in September, got homework from the teachers at the beginning of October, and arrived in land of magic Sunday night just in time to hook up the RV, set up the camping chairs and watch the firework show above us. (incidently we choose this RV park just for that right-under-the-fireworks location!) We woke up bright and early, took the shuttle to the security gate, showed them our hopper passes, gave the kids the what-if-we-get-separated speech, and headed for the castle. WE WERE IN DISNEYLAND! We had no particular reason to start with the Pinocchio ride. It looked inviting, there was no line...and everyone was so excited to go on a ride in Disneyland it didn't matter what it was! We walked right up to the awaiting cart ready to take us on our first magical ride. The music played, jimmeny cricket hung from the brightly coloured display, and in and out of curious doors we went. After about 35 seconds of fun, all of a sudden....the cart stopped, the music stopped, and all the lights came on... Were we stuck? What? Our first ride ever? Could it be? We all started to laugh. Over the loud speaker came the following announcement, "please remain seated, a cast member will be with you shortly." A few minutes later a Disney worker came, apologized, opened our seat restraint, led us and other dumbfounded participants over the tracks and ushered us all out of the building.

A Little Lesson:
While being stuck, we noticed some things that perhaps most Disneyland patrons do not see when taking a ride that doesn't break down. We got to see all the security cameras strategically placed through out the ride, and all the gazillions of lights placed in gazillions of places all to make the themed characters come alive. We got a closer look at how the cart actually rides along that track that seems to blend into the decor. It was indeed a fun look at behind the scenes of a Disneyland ride. After our first adventure in Pinocchio, we headed over to the teacups and we were back on track as they say!

The Slow Lane

We're Here!  I am sitting in Judy's beautiful home eating ribs and fresh strawberries feeling the warm California breeze coming through the screen door and hearing Disney stories from Dave who is one of Mickey's top animators.  It took us three days to get here!  I couldn't believe how fun, oversized and slow it was.  Yes we were the vehicle that I moan about going down to the Seattle temple on the I5.  Come on speed up!  

A Little Lesson:

   We all ought to take a turn in the slow lane.  You see the world a little differently...the view is more clear,  you don't get nervous when the cops come up behind you and it gives a whole new meaning to the word....WIDE LOAD. (We're off to the Land... I will post more later!)

He Made It!

(This is the route they are taking around the world)

My dad made it to Fiji in one piece. In his words:

We made it safe and sound. It was sometimes a very harrowing experience going through tropical storms buffeted by enormous waves that made any movement in the boat a major and risky task.

says the man with hand being held together with a staple! I can rest a little easier now that my sixty-five year old dad has survived his once-in-a lifetime adventure of sailing the ocean blue to the Pacific islands. I look forward to his pictures that will tell of his 'harrowing experiences'! Now he just has to board a plane and make his way back to Vancouver via Hawaii.

A Little Lesson:
Grandpa became a new fixture in our daily family prayers. "and bless grandpa on the seven seas" my children would say. I know even ten thousand miles away from us his life was a little better because of those faithful prayers of my children!

Torture

I dread the day these things are due at school. Each year parents have to send little "earthquake kits" to school to be used by your child in the event of a terrible quake. The possibility that our area here is going to experience an earthquake is pretty high. The bags are supposed to be filled with little snacks, pictures of home and things to do while they wait for mom or dad to come and rescue them. The real kicker is the note we are supposed to write to our children who are all huddled some place in the gym sobbing with their friends. It's a terrible thought to think your children are somewhere in distress and you could be stuck on the Oak street bridge. You have to write a combination of you are going to be all right mixed with don't worry mom is on her way sentences. It's torture. I sobbed for over an hour when I had to write my first one when Jordan entered preschool eight years ago. I called Colleen and threatened to pull my sweet boy out of school, that I was making a terrible mistake. She talked me off the cliff. It's only gotten slightly easier.

A Little Lesson:
I am grateful I can tell my children in the letter how they can pray to feel the comfort of their Father in Heaven and they know what that means and how to do it. That they are never really alone. Many years ago I had a bad fall going down the stairs. When I recovered and called out for Jordan: "where were you?" He replied: "I quickly went to pray for you mom!"

Bad Dog

Clearly Lucy was making a statement when we arrived home from Utah. The good news, my tomato plants were done anyways. If you haven't seen an earlier picture, those pots were full of pretty much 'done' tomato plants. Not so much any more. There is some evidence of this carnage on our lawn too, which I did not show. This is actually pretty out of character for our easy going Loosey Goosey, for the most part she is a really good dog. When I opened the back door, it was like she was saying look mom the cool thing I did when you were gone!!! (pant pant pant) Apparently my mom explained it was like she couldn't decide which pot to bury her ball in.

A Little Lesson:
Don't buy a dog for your kids unless you LOVE dogs. You'll be sorry.

Differently the Same

(It's kind of long...I made it for Emily so she could enjoy every moment! Don't feel bad if you cut it half way through!)

A Little Lesson:
Although we went to the same conference center, the same bookstore, the same chocolate fountain buffet, saw the prophet, bought new scriptures, went to the same sites, bought a new ctr ring, went to the ZCMI mall for lunch, saw the same temple, and swam in the pool for both Jordan in 2005 and Emily last weekend, the trip was completely different. They were exactly the same age, but each experienced the adventure in such a different way. It was a loud reminder to me how important it is to remember how different our children really are. They need individual and personalized parenting that taps into the challenges and circumstances that only they will experience in their own way.

The Moment

When we got in our seats in the conference center and Emily saw the prophet, the quorum of the twelve, the enormous conference center full of twenty-one thousand latter day saints and the pulpit she has seen on the stake center screen since she can remember, she sat quietly in awe. There was a moment. I saw it on her face and luckily captured it on my temperamental camera!

A Little Lesson:
I am so glad we came.

What Will They Remember

One of my favourite things to see on temple square was the Prophets Exhibit at the Church Art Museum. Each latter-day prophet was beautifully displayed with a large portrait, a quote, and some artifacts that represented some of their greatest contributions to the church and the world. For some it was their focus on missionary work, others translating the Book of Mormon, building temples, traveling to foreign lands and so on. It was amazing to see how much President Hinckley accomplished during his tenure as prophet. He was surely beloved by all.

A Little Lesson:
After seeing this exhibit, I've wondered how I will be remembered by my children. What will they remember of their childhood? My hope is, when this life is over, my children will remember...

that I loved the prophet and wanted to follow their counsel.
that our home was one of their favourite places on earth to be.
that I smiled when they entered the room.
that I shared my testimony of Christ through music throughout my life.
that I laughed when I could of yelled.
that I loved their daddy more then anybody else on the planet.
that I loved, learned and lived the scriptures.
that it was okay to make some mistakes.
that enduring to the end was worth it.
that I was the luckiest mom in the world because I was their mom.
that my cinamon buns tasted better than Pilsbury.

I have a long way to go...

Fluent

Craig's sister Chelsea is living in downtown Salt Lake going to school and working at the Church Office building. She was asked by the church to translate some of the conference talks into Marshaleese. She served her mission in the Marshall islands last year and clearly learned the language well! I was so proud of her. She was in a special booth with hundreds of other translators communicating to saints around the world into over a hundred languages the words of the inspired speakers. I remember when I returned home from Japan on my mission I certainly felt comfortable speaking Japanese to people but I did not in any way feel fluent enough to translate for the church! Well done my dear sister-in-law!

A Little Lesson:
The translators are given the talks a few days before the conference in order to become familiar with the words they will be translating. However Chelsea explained to me that as you go along reading your translation while the speaker is giving their talk, at any moment the speaker can add or subtract words from their prepared sermons, leaving the translator scrambling to keep up with the changed sentences. It requires fluency as well as quick thinking. Apparently, President Monson can hand in a talk to the translators as few as twenty minutes before he will speak! Chelsea explained that on Saturday morning someone came into the translating room shouting "REVISION! REVISIONS!" on one of the talks about ten minutes before they were to speak. I had no idea so much was going on behind the scenes to make it possible for millions of lds people from foreign lands around the world to hear conference, as I sit and watch it in English on the stake center screen year after year!

Comment on a Blog?

Did I hear Elder Hales correctly during the Sunday morning session - we should all comment on a blog to show kindness? What a great idea! There was about two hundred other great stories and principles taught during conference but I really liked this one. So I thought I'd share.

A Little Lesson:
Although I have become somewhat diligent in writing in my blog journal daily I am not so great at leaving comments when I read other blogs. Even when I am touched or inspired or laugh out loud I don't always leave a little note to let them know...I will try to do better now that it has come from the pulpit at general conference!

Flying By!

We had another full day of visiting the different temple square visiting centers, seeing Chelsea and her place, lunch at the church office building, the art history museum, another shop at the distribution center, dinner buffet with Umbach's on the top of Joseph Smith Memorial building and two big swims in the pool! Today we will spend the day at conference.

A Little Lesson:
As Emily is having the time of her life...a phone call home confirms the other kids in the care of their indulging grandma are also having the time of theirs! Thanks Mom!

Not Too Much Fun

(I got this photo off the internet I don't have my camera USB chord!)

After Emily had her first plane ride (at least one she was old enough to remember) a swim at the Marriot pool, lunch at the food court, getting her name engraved on her new scriptures, running into her buddy Neighan Umbach at the Distribution center, a movie at the Joseph Smith Memorial building, seeing the Salt Lake Temple for the first time and a tour of the conference center and delicious room service which she ate in her bed she says..."I really hope I don't have too much fun" I asked her why? "Because when your having so much fun...time flies. I want this trip to last forever!"

A Little Lesson:
I am grateful for the restored gospel. I agree with Emily wholeheartedly, I want this 'trip' called life with the people I love to last forever too!

Early for Me

It's 3:30am - I would say even early for me. In efforts to save hundreds of dollars we will fly out of Seattle instead of Vancouver, thus the 3am wake-up. Wow...it's early.

A Little Lesson:
Being a morning person and somewhat unsympathetic to my household of not so morning people I am trying the hold on in my memory how awful it feels right now to be up at 3am so that when I am coaxing them out of bed at 6:30am I am more compassionate.

Only Child

Tomorrow we leave for Salt Lake City to go to conference and see the prophet. This is a special trip. It is just for Emily and her mom and dad. For the next four days she gets to be an only child. There was talk of bringing Benjamin, but Emily decided she really wanted it to be just her, and Benjamin loves his babysitters almost as much as me. My mom and sister will stay home with the rest of the gang while we visit the sites of temple square, go to general conference, swim in the Marriott pool and go to the buffet at Little America Hotel. The reason for this special trip is Emily turned eight and was baptized four months ago and that has become the tradition in our family. We took Jordan on his special "see-the-prophet-only-child" maneuver when he was eight and he still talks about it like it was the trip of a lifetime.

A Little Lesson:
Growing up a member of the church in Vancouver means you will learn to be the only kid in your high school who is Mormon, a small Sunday-school class and many opportunities to serve in significant ways. Going to conference in Salt Lake City where the church is strong and the gospel is a part of hundreds of thousands of people's lives is a very special experience. I remember when I went into the MTC before I served my mission in Japan and sat in a room with two thousand other missionaries from all over the world how incredible it felt to be with so many other people who believed and loved the things I loved. I am excited for our little Emily. Only one more sleep!