12/2/19

Thats right...you read the subject line right. I was working on adding in entries to see if I had enough to create another book. And I am so sad to say that my last one was over a year ago! How does this happen? It makes me so sad to think of all the many moments I had and did not write them down. But instead of lingering in the "I wish I would haves" I am going to send one today. Hope this helps to brighten your day :) This one is going to be a little longer because I am also going to include the talks both Eden and Ellanor wrote for the Primary Program.

We love you all!! And I cherish our eternal family bond. 

These were on my phone from last December:

Evalyn was talking to Henry. "There are so many boys I don't know who to marry. Lance, Kenton, Flynn. Henry said, "You can marry me." She replied, "I love you but you can't  marry people in your family or cousins that's the rules."

Gordon got 100% on his research paper and his teacher was very impressed she said it was close to college material. 

Eden performed in her first ASL concert. And I was nearly in tears. She was beautiful and you could tell she felt every word she was signing. I was so moved by it, it is hard to explain. It is such a joy to watch your children grow and see them develop talents and share them with others. I had so much joy I could just burst. 

Evalyn has Eden to give to for Christmas ad she has been adding to Edens present. All the coins she has found around the house. :) I am so impressed that she hasn't been keeping them for herself. And she is sooo excited for Eden to see her "Bonus" present on Christmas morning. Then, later that night when Evalyn was going to bed and she was worried about having bad dreams I suggested dreaming about what it will be like to watch Eden open her gift, her reply was,"oh that is a good one" (with a big grin on her face)

The other night I asked the kids to help clean up the kitchen and everyone was finishing up something then they were coming. But Evalyn came right away and cleaned up the whole kitchen. She even put foil on things to put away in the fridge. She is growing up so quickly! 

Eden, "there are a lot of people in my class that like me...(referring to boys) and then Gordon piped in... "well yeah, because you are really pretty" 

Girls talks: 

Eden's- 

I believe the words of Jesus Christ when He taught about the parable of being yoked together. A Yoke is a device that is put around the necks of animals to harness them together. Like two Oxen being yoked together side by side. The yoke of Christ is a symbol for discipleship or being willing to follow Him.

On my baptism day Sister Knight shared a story about this that I have thought of many times. She was running a race and saw two runners running very close together. She couldn’t quite understand how they were running so close together and not getting tangled together and causing one another to trip. The closer she got she realized that these two runners were actually tied together. She then noticed that one of the runners was not looking at the path as closely as the other. And that is when she realized that one of the runners was blind. This blind man was tied to the other racer so that he could run in the race. He would not be able to do this alone. The racer that could see had agreed to have this blind man tied to him. He knew that he would need to guide him along the race. And the blind man knew he would need to have faith and trust in his friend that he would keep him safe. These two runners were yoked together.

When we are baptized we all chose to yoke ourselves to Christ. He can see the path when we can’t. In Matthew chapter 11 it says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart :and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” I really like that he promises us that if we yoke, or tie ourselves to Him, that we will find rest, or in other words, peace.

I have a testimony that if we stay with Him along the way and have faith we will get to our destination and reach our goal. The Savior will help us find our way through the path of life and help lead us back to our Father in Heaven.     

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Ella's- 

Hello my name is Ellanor and I believe the words of Jesus Christ when he taught that he binds us to make us free and Satan frees us to bind us. Christ ‘binds’ us by giving us commandments to follow and rules to abide by. He then frees us by promising us if we obey we will have eternal happiness. Satan on the other hand, frees us to bind us. He frees us by telling us it’s okay; you can do whatever you want, such as smoking, drinking, and stealing. He tells us that we can live in the moment and that we don’t need to worry about any consequences. And then Satan binds us.

Some may confuse being bound by Christ as being restricted or held back in some way, but that it not the case at all. To help explain what this means take this analogy for example,

There was a very young boy. It was his first experience with kite flying. His father helped him, and after several attempts the kite was in the air. The boy ran and let out more string, and soon the kite was flying high. The little boy was so excited; the kite was beautiful. Eventually there was no more string left to allow the kite to go higher. The boy said to his father, “Daddy, let’s cut the string and let the kite go; I want to see it go higher and higher.”

His father said, “Son, the kite won’t go higher if we cut the string.”

“Yes, it will,” responded the little boy. “The string is holding the kite down; I can feel it.” The father handed a pocketknife to his son. The boy cut the string. In a matter of seconds the kite was out of control. It darted here and there and finally landed in a broken heap. That was difficult for the boy to understand. He felt certain the string was holding the kite down.

The string is like the commandments. Many people think the commandments are holding us back from fulfilling our purpose in life. But really, they are what keep us from falling to the ground. The string, or commandments, is what helps us to soar higher.  It doesn’t bind us down; it is what is allowing us to fly.

In John chapter 8 it reads, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

I know that if we follow the commandments of Jesus Christ we will be able to soar high and reach our full potential in life. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

And now here is one just from the other day, 

Evalyn is working on memorizing her poem for this grading period. The poem goes:

What can I give him?

Poor as I am, 

If I were a Shepherd,

I would bring a lamb.

If I were a Wise man,

I would do my part. 

What can I give Him?

Give my heart. 

She started..."What can I give Him, Poor as I am. If I were a leper I would bring a sheep" we all started giggling. :) 

Gordon just finished his first season doing cross-country. And he got better and better as the season went on. We are so proud of him, trying something new and sticking with it and pushing himself. Practice everyday after school in the crazy Arizona heat! His Personal Record for the season was a mile and a half in 10:24. And the main reason he signed up for cross country was because he wanted to be in good shape for when basketball try outs came around. He went to try outs and he put forth lots of effort. There are two teams 'A' team and 'B' team. He thought there were lots of guys that were better than him. He really wanted to make the 'A' team but thought he would be put on the 'B' team. Then when the list was posted he made the 'A' team!!! And the first couple games he didn't start but he played at least half of the game. Then the last game he was a starter! We are so proud of the young man he is and the hard work he puts into everything he does. He is also still on the National Junior Honors Society. He volunteers and helps out around campus with different events. He truly is a wonderful young man. 

Ellanor is keeping very busy as well. At school she is doing Violin, in the Sign Language Club, and in the Girls who Code club. And just recently she has signed up to be a part of Girls with Sole. She has been setting goals to push herself. I signed all the kids up for a Bubble Run. I thought there would be a 1 mile fun run in addition to the 3.2 mile (5k) run. Ella was a little hesitant to run a whole mile, but she decided she would do it. Then the morning of while we were there waiting for the race to start, I quickly learned that there was no 1 mile fun run...only the 5K. Ellanor did the whole thing and at the end I asked her, "You did it! How do you feel?" She said she felt really good. I then told her that she had just run over 3 miles...she replied, "no, Mom is was only the 1 mile fun run". She had no idea...I then explained my confusion and that she just ran the 5K. I really feel like it unlocked something in her. She now knows she CAN do hard things!! 

Eden is also in lots of after school activities. She plays the flute, is a lead in the musical, and is in the Sign Language club. She also just signed up for the club, Girls on the Run (same one as Ella just for the younger grades). She is such a hard worker and you can tell she has so much fun doing it all. When she was trying out for the musical she was more excited to hear that her friends had received certain roles. Then when we heard she had a call back for a lead she was very excited...there were 7 girls trying out for 4 spots. She was beyond excited to hear she had snagged one. 

Russell is also in the Sign Language club with the girls and he is doing a great job. It is really fun to watch the three of them practice together at home. 

Evalyn is doing really well at school. They just started taking spelling test and she has gotten 100% the last two weeks in a row. 

Henry is so fun to have at home all morning, just he and I while the other kids are at school. His favorite thing to do is to wave to the kids as they are leaving for school, if he ever sleeps in and missing sending them off he is a bit sad. I love that he loves his siblings so much. 

Life is very full at this stage and I feel like I am in the car a lot, and there is always dishes to do and laundry to fold...but I am trying to enjoy the little moments. I am not perfect at that, I sometimes let the tasks of the day take over but sitting down and writing about these moments help. I feel so very blessed to be the mother of my amazing children. They bring me joy every day! I am so grateful a loving Heavenly Father has entrusted them to me for this time while they are on earth.  Parenting can be hard, but I have the best partner :) I love you all so very much and I feel so blessed for your love, example and encouragement. 

11/9/18

I found some old ones on my phone. I may have already sent these but just in case I didn't ;) 

Back from Nov 2015

Russell said pick your favorite color. I said blue. He said no that's a boy color. Pick pink. OK pink. That is correct!

These were from October 2018

We saw a homeless woman on the side of the road. We talked about it. Then Evalyn said, "when I'm a teenager I will have money and pay her."

Russell was somewhat arguing with Evalyn in the car about one of their friends. Russell was saying to Evalyn that Lila is his friend. Evalyn was insistent that Lila was her friend (because her and Lila are the same age). Then Russell said, "well Lila is my friend because she is room mates with my girlfriend"

What?!? (Amelia is a little girl Russell likes who is sisters with Lila) 

Russell- at stake conference, "who died?" I was confused, I said no one had... he then pointed out the beautiful flower arrangements. "See the pretty flowers... someone must have died"

 Then today Nov 9 2018

 While I was cleaning house we were listening to some Christmas music. The song by Mariah Carey called 'all I want for Christmas is you' was playing. Evalyn asked what does that mean? I explained all that she wants for Christmas is her family. We listen to the rest of the song then at the very end Evalyn perked up and said, "oh I understand all she wants for Christmas  is her family....because her family are the ones who will wrap her presents." 🤣

 Last Saturday Eden had a party that she was attending. It was most of the afternoon and into the evening. Ella at one point came running downstairs saying, "oh is Eden home? Where is she? I reminded her, "No, she's not getting home until 730." She got a sad look on her face and said, "oh I thought I heard her voice... I just miss her so much"

5/19/18

I have not written anything down throughout the week...still trying to
get back into the habit ;) But I will still write down some happenings
from this week.

Ellanor had her violin concert. And she did so well. This has been a
great beginning course for her, but I feel like she is for sure ready
for the next level. She will come home and decide she wants to learn a
new song. She goes up to her room and figures out what the notes are
and practices it. She really is enjoying it and it makes me happy :)

I can't believe that another school year is going to be finishing this
week. This year went by so quickly!!! Next year we will have 4 kiddos
at school ALL day now! That is crazy to me! And then the following
year Evalyn will start!?!?! Wasn't she just born? How does this
happen?!?

I took down Henry's crib this week. We have had both the crib and
toddler bed set up in the room for several weeks now and have given
him the choice of where he wanted to sleep. He kept choosing the crib,
but was continuing to climb out....and then a few nights in a row he
chose the bed...so I took that opportunity and took down the crib so I
wouldn't need to worry about him climbing out anymore....however, now
I think he gets up at night and plays in his room. It is a transition
that hopefully we get through soon. Poor kiddo is so exhausted these
days :)

Ellanor and Eden went to the orthodontist this past week to be
assessed, per the dentist's recommendation....and this week they both
go in for their first visit to begin the braces process!! Both girls
will get an expander and then Eden will only have partial braces for
now, and Ella gets the full deal :) We might have three in braces for
just a little while....and then Gordon's come off.

Russell is having his Kindergarten graduation this week. He has grown
so much this year! He has down so well in school. I was a little
worried at the beginning of the year about how he would do, but he has
done nothing but shine and excel.

Gordon had another project due this week. He needed to build a
medieval castle. Luckily we had lots of cardboard left over from
building the London Bridge for Prom so he had lots of supplies. He had
a lot of fun creating, but the best part was hearing how his day went
yesterday after turning it in at school. He felt really proud of his
hard work and enjoyed sharing his and admiring other classmates work.

Gordon had been called to be the secretary in the Deacons quorum. It
brings joy to a parent being able to watch your children become
responsibly independent little humans :) He informs me of meetings he
needs to be at, and he calls to check in with different quorum members
before mutual to make sure everyone is going to follow through with
their commitments. He is such a great example to everyone!

The other morning, early, I heard Henry fussing. Usually he will be
calling "Mommy,Mommy" but this time I heard him saying, "Eden! Eden!"
I went in and he kept calling for Eden. It was just about time to wake
everyone to get ready for school anyway, so we went in together to
wake up Eden. Once she opened her eyes I told her that Henry was
wanting her. Henry lit right up. And Eden put out her arms, still
laying down in her bed, since she was still waking up. Henry dove
right into her arms out of mine and just snuggled with her for a few
minutes. It completely melted my heart!

We love you all so very much! Hope you have a very happy week!!

11/30/17

Just a few for now :) 

This is a copy of Eden's talk that Taylor texted the video of last week. The really cool thing is that she sat down at the computer and wrote this all by herself. Every now and then she would yell out, "Mom, how do you spell ____". She is such a cutie! 

Today I was asked to talk about teaching my friends about the gospel. One time at school my friend asked me who Jesus Christ was. I told him Jesus was our creator. He then wanted to know more.So that recess I spent time talking to my friend about Jesus. I wasn't mad that I didn't get to play and my friend wasn't either.He thanked me for talking to him.I was probably the person who mades him join the church.Even though your friends might not jojyjjyuigkku5iujin the church when you talk to them about the gospel doesn't mean your not doing what Jesus wants.All he wants is you to just tell them about it.You may not make someone join the church, but you can still do something.And by doing this we can prepare to be missionaries. I liked to leave this with my testimony that I know this church is true and that if we tell our friends about the gospel good things can happen. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ ,amen. 

I gave Henry some pieces of candy corn as soon as I handed them to him he ran was as fast as he could I think so I wouldn't change my mind and take them back...made me chuckle. 

The other morning Henry was eating cereal. I looked over and noticed he was throwing all the Cheerios outside of his bowl and he had made quite a mess. I grabbed a paper towel and wiped up all the Cheerios with one swipe. Henry looked at me with a big wide-open mouth and a gasp. He reacted like it was the best magic trick he had ever seen. :) 

Ella has been practicing the violin and will have her first concert in a couple weeks...she can play twinkle twinkle little star. So fun!! 

Henry usually says "No" to everything...but just this week he has started nodding his head for yes...well..for yes when it includes food :) Baby steps ;) 

Evalyn is so sweet with Henry. They play together really well. Just today they were playing together. Evalyn was pretending to paint Henry's face with a pretend face painting kit. Adorable! 

And it has cooled off finally and the kids are constantly outside on the trampoline. Some of their favorite games as 'the witch' (where one person is a witch and the other people are in the middle of the tramp and the witch picks a category and everyone things of an object in that category and if the witch guesses your item you have to run around the tramp 5 times then go back to the middle. BUT if the witch catches you then you become the witch). Another favorite is 'Earthquake' (they bounce each other). 'Zoo' (everyone is an animal and one is the zookeeper...they do things to earn snacks). They all have so much fun playing together. Many nights I have looked out the window at them on the trampoline while fixing dinner and grin ear to ear. It is one of the best feelings to see your children enjoying one another and building lasting relationships. 

December 1st is tomorrow and that means we will be starting our 12 Days of Christmas Service and the 25 days in 25 ways to Light the World. This is the best time of year! We will keep you posted on what our 12 service projects will be :) Merry Christmas!! 

10/18/17

We were leaving to take the kids to school and as we were backing out of the driveway I asked the kids to check their homework folders to make sure I had signed their homework slips. Both Gordon and Ella were missing theirs.... I said, "good thing I asked".... then Gordon replied, "um... the spirit!?!" 

Listening to the radio and they said something about Gilbert. Evalyn lit up and said,"Hey they said Gilbert!!" Her beanie boo giraffes name is Gilbert.

Driving to pick up kids from school and a fire truck passed us. Evalyn said, "Look they are going to go help someone." And I replied, "Yes they are." She said, "Yep I think they're going to go help someone out of a tree."

When I go to get Henry out of his crib from his nap or in the morning he sees me walk in the door and immediately turns around to point at his blanket in his crib. I pick him up then I have to pick up the blanket to come with us. Every time

Waiting at the dentist office Evalyn was doing some dance moves (imagine a three year olds version of break dancing) I commented on how nice her dance moves where and she quickly said, "Grandma taught me how." ;) so which one of you have been holding out on the rest of us with your break dancing moves :) ??? 

We got several new books and the kids were looking at them today and noticed one the back it lists the US price and also the Canadian price. Eden read how much a book cost in each location and quickly noticed that every book cost more in Canada. Ella said quickly with out missing a beat, "That's because people have more money in Canada."

We love you all!! Hope you are enjoying your sabbath day :) 

9/19/17

This is me attempting to get better at this again ;) love you all!! 

Evalyn said while I was getting ready Sunday morning.. "mom I love your elbows."

We were waiting for Gordon to be done with football and Evalyn was playing in the front seat. Gordon came to the car dripping sweat and after a few minutes said, "Man this seat is so hot it's like burning my back." Then we realized the seat warmer was on... Evalyn was having fun pushing buttons while she was hanging out in the front. 

Henry loves to dance. I'm not quite sure who he got his dancing inspiration from because his move is ....having an angry face and pumping his fist up and down. So serious when he is feeling the rhythm 

When I hold up my phone like I'm going to take a picture Henry will stop whatever he is doing and look right at the camera with a big cheesey grin :)

Russell said, "I know video games are not most important anymore." With a happy feeling I asked him what was. He replied, "Hands...... Because you can't play video games without your hands." Almost there... 

I was getting Henry out of the car the other day and as soon as I started to unbuckle his seat he closed his eyes and flipped his head to the side like he was asleep. I played along and said to the other kids, "oh, shhh Henry is sleeping... everyone be quite please" and then a little smile broke through and he popped his head up with eyes wide open and a giggle. We all gasped and said he is awake!! And as quickly as he had woke he pretended he was back to sleep again. This happened several times and never got old. Everyone was loving it :) 

All the kids are doing wonderful in school and getting good grades. They are enjoying being back to school. 

Evalyn had an idea today that she wanted to make her nursery teacher some cookies. So we did ;) love my sweet girl and glad she found a way for us to serve today! 

I needed to run a white shirt over to the church building for Taylor and we dropped it off and Taylor was making his way into the church house as we watched from the car and Evalyn started to cry and said..... "I want to keep him!" ️ She was sad but we were able to FaceTime daddy real quick before his appointment came, and that cheered her right up :) 

Gordon had his first football game on Saturday. Their team did very well... it was 40 something to 0. And one of those touchdowns belonged to Gordon. He ran it in after running and faking out a few opponents from about half way down the field. Proud momma moment!! :) 

Many days I am tired and exhausted but I do love being able to be home with these amazing little people that call me mom. :) 

4/11/17

Not sure if I already sent these???? Sorry if it is a double ;) just found them in my notes. 

Russell looked out the window and saw it raining. He then asked what day is it? I replied Tuesday.... he said back with a little disgust, it can rain on Tuesday? 

Russell just said "you know in cars (the movie) they can't open their doors"  I asked him why he said "if they open their doors their brains will fall out" 

Gordon was explaining how is friends had taken an item from his lunch and he needed to figure out which of his friends had it. He then explained to me how he figured out through different clues and asking questions that he was able to figure it out. He then said, "I love having the blood of a lawyer!" 

We were getting in the car and I handed Henry a car as well as a little stuffed mini mouse. He got excited and grabbed them both but then quickly through the mini mouse over the side of his car seat. He was very content with the car. He is a boy!

Totally out of the blue we were driving to pick up kids from school and Russell says from the backseat "you know mom I am really sad grandpa Thompson had to die." I don't know if the kids have been talking about him lately but I thought it was really sweet.