My Own Thoughts

If possible to have a "favorite" prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley would most definitely be mine. I have a testimony of prophets. The belief in a modern-day living prophet is integral in a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I join the ranks of millions who loved this man both as a mouthpiece of the Lord as well as a person who has lived an extraordinary life. His biography written by Shari Dew describes so well this extraordinary life.

I have to share one of my most treasured memories of President Hinckley. I could actually share thousands of experiences where his words has taught me/changed me so much! However, at this time I want to share just one...

I have never met a general authority in person, let alone the prophet. I have never attended General Conference in person. On occasion, I have attended a regional meeting, devotionals in my BYU days where I would have been in the large presence of a general authority but never had I actually been face to face with one.

Scott's parents were being set apart as the temple president and matron of the Denmark Temple in 2004 by President Hinckley in Salt Lake. I was just a couple of weeks from delivering Emma. Dee and Kay's children were invited to attend this setting apart. With written permission from my doctor to board a plane, Scott and I left the kids behind (a huge hurdle for me) and set off for Salt Lake for the day.

This was just days after Sister Hinckley had passed away. Before President Hinckley's assistant led us into the large conference room he schooled us on what would happen. He mentioned that we should not expect him to shake each person's hand, that he was tired and weary. We entered in through a main door and took our seats. A few minutes later, a side door opened and in walked President Hinckley. It's impossible to recreate with words the spirit that overtook that room. We each stood at his presence. He then proceeded around the entire room and shook the hands of each person there, including mine looking me straight in the eye. I will never forget the power and witness I felt at his presence. The look of the Prophet's eyes will forever be imprinted in my mind. This is an experience I will forever treasure. I didn't need to see the prophet in person to have a testimony of his truthfulness. It was just an exquisite treat to do so.

This picture was taken inside the Church Office Building on the day of Dee and Kay's setting apart.

Here's a quote just for fun that I just read in the Ensign...

"I want to plead with you to keep balance in your lives. Do not become obsessed with what may be called 'a gospel hobby.' A good meal always includes more than one course. You ought to have great strength in your chosen . . . field of expertise. But I warn you against making that your only interest . . .

" . . . Beware of obsession. Beware of narrowness. Let your interests range over many good fields while working with growing strength in the field of your own profession."

An amazing man. Just as amazing will be the day to sustain a new prophet. It's so exciting the church will never be in chaos. We'll have a new prophet to love and listen to. We won't be led astray. This is awesome!

I Love This Baby!

Can baby number four really be this fun? Grace is the human doll at our house. Sarah plays with her like she might as well be her latest Corolle or American Girl doll. Most of the time I feel like Grace is my dolly too!

I say BOO!

Yesterday I was home and I went to pick up the kids from school. Emma stayed home with Mama and Gracie. As I was walking out the door Emma yelled "I say BOO!" I asked "What?" "I SAY BOO!" She said this as she was climbing behind the couch. Then it dawned on me what she meant. She was going into hiding so that she could jump out from behind the couch and say "BOO" and scare Ben and Sarah when they got home from school. I thought it was cute and added "you don't have to hide yet, I'll be home with the kids in a bit."

I picked up the kids and on my way home Nancy called and asked if Emma was with me. "No!" She said that she could not find Emma anywhere, and Nancy called for her while I was on the phone. (If she were next door she would have heard.) I asked if the front door was unlocked. (One of Emma's new skills is unlocking and opening the front door. She is quite pleased with her self, I am not so much. Oh well I guess it was bound to happen.) I just hate the feeling when you realize a child is missing or at least unaccounted for. Suppress the panic, suppress the panic, she has to be somewhere! At least the front door was locked. I then cycled through some of her favorite hiding places, and then it clicked. I asked if she looked behind the couch. She looked and the picture shows what she found. We both laughed. Emma is such a funny girl. Panic relieved in a millisecond! Whew!

I guess she just got tired waiting for her moment to jump and say BOO! The funny thing is after Ben and Sarah got home Emma walked in and said "BOO!" It did not have quite the impact I think she was hoping for, however she followed through with her plan.



















Reviewing this little incident I find it interesting that we have an automatic parental panic button that seems to trigger so fast when the whereabouts of our child/children are not known at all times. It seems like we mirror the homeland security warning. We are always on orange alert. You know the one just under RED ALERT!

I can not help but think that my parents were mostly at level green. (I know that they have been at full tilt RED ALERT a few times like the time I got "lost" at 6 or 7 yrs old at the Roadway Inn in Indianapolis as we traveled across country in our brown Ford LTD wood paneled station wagon. (Ah memories of the 70's) The Roadway Inn was pretty nice but it was full of truckers and other desirable folks. (It was right next to the interstate) I was "lost" for about a half hour or so. My parents did not know that I was perfectly fine watching TV in the lobby. I knew where I was the whole time, I did not understand what the big deal was. Oh well to be a naive kid again.)

Well having illuminated the red alert a few times in my day, the green light was on most of the time. I can remember my mom instructing us kids to have fun and come home for dinner. Ah those wonderful summer days! My mom usually had a general idea where we were, but there were times she did not have a CLUE where I was for hours at a time! The truth is that we always came home, and there was really no need to be that worried. We were always among friends and were considered safe.

I guess we live in a different world where we have to always be at high alert and have a need to know where our little ones are all the time. I guess the good thing is our kids will never know anything different.

Sadly we do... and what fun it was while it lasted.

Christmas 2007 Memories

It is already the 2nd week of January 2008, however we were so busy this last Christmas we never blogged about it. Well we have some great shots I thought I would share under the guise of Christmas Memories. Enjoy and Happy New Year ... again!

We started out our Christmas Season by inviting our neighbors for a Christmas carol sing along on December 10th. We all had such a fun time singing together so we decided that it may become a tradition. It was a great way to invite the spirit of Christmas into our home.
Pictured are a few of our neighbors and friends that came to "sing in" the Season.




It was also the first time we used Papa's chocolate fountain. We are glad we set it up in the kitchen. Chocolate dripped all over the tile floor which made for an easy clean up. I think the kids were much more excited about the dessert than the singing. Alas sorry no pictures of our treats. I guess I was not thinking of blogging.


On the 15th of the month we had our Ward Christmas party. The kiddos first got to see Santa and then we enjoyed a great roast beef dinner with Ward talent sharing music and fun.


Sarah wins the best photo with Santa this year so she has earned the BIGGEST Santa picture this year! Yea Sarah, good smile!




Emma and Grace were not too sure about the big guy in the red suit.






Ben was just excited to tell Santa what he really wanted for Christmas. In our family tradition they get to ask Santa for one gift. Usually he comes through and delivers, so this was a very important moment. Ben's wish was a Roboquad. I am glad that Santa knows what the heck a Roboquad is because I never heard of it.


One of the musical pieces performed was by Jeff, the Bishop and me (the bishopric). We performed "We three Kings" the Three Tenors we were not, quite impossible in fact seeing that Jeff and the Bishop are basses. We had good practices, but we got off a bit in the beginning of the performance oh well. At least we were able to end on a strong and recognisable note! I think we three were happy when it was done. :)


We spent Christmas Eve with Nancy's sister Susan and her family. We had a wonderful time and loved the prime rib dinner. Yum yum yum. After dinner we had our traditional Christmas story found in Luke 2 read by Uncle Elvin and acted out by our puppeteers. This year with the addition of Emma as a wise man the story took on some funny turns like when the wise men started fighting with each other and then turned on Joesph and Mary. Not the most reverent rendition, but memorable. Thanks to Brian Emily's hubby (playing the angel part) the nativity brawls were kept to a minimum.



After the Christmas story we sang Christmas hymns. This is Sarah with Emily posing in front of the ebony and ivory. Sarah is taking piano and was pleased that Auntie Em (really cousin but Auntie Em sounded more fun.)would let her play a little bit too.








Amy had dish duty after the festivities. You can bet when you can hear water running Emma will be there in a flash. Amy was more than happy to have a helper, however I am not really sure how much help Emma ended up being.












As for me I was just happy Gracie was willing to take a little snooze. There are few things better than a sleeping baby!














The first order of business for the kids when we got home was to jump into their new PJ's. They are really cute jammies. Thanks to Aunt Allison for making matching PJ's! Getting PJ's for Christmas seems to be a tradition for many, we feel privileged to have one of a kind special made PJ's to wear. The kids love them and we appreciate the hard work and love that went into their making!.















Christmas morning... sometime most likely before 7AM... ack. too early, but fair game on such a day. As you can see Santa did come through for Ben. He got his Roboquad, Sarah got her "Wet and Bath Paul" doll and Emma got her (appropriately named) "Wet and Bath Emma" doll.













I hope you had a fun and happy Christmas season like we did.

Skating into the New Year

December 31st was a lazy day around our house. After nearly a month of begging I finally gave in and took the kids ice skating in downtown Walnut Creek. We had a blast, and I enjoyed the 80's music that seemed to be a theme. Ben and Sarah had fun getting their "skate feet" back.

The first half of our adventure with Sarah was pushing her along or helping her with full support. After a while I let go and wouldn't you know that she could skate on her own! Ice skating was something that she did not think she could do on her own. I was really proud of her for trying!

Ben had a lot of fun and was content to skate by him self and was excited to get out his favorite hat. It is a few years old and possibly a size or two too small. Hmmm you be the judge.





I was of course happy to bring out "my" old skates. They are actually my Dad's skates that he purchased in the 50's and brought back from his mission in Sweden and gave to me. He skated on the Baltic Sea one cold winter when it was frozen from Stockholm to Helsinki. I'm sure he didn't go that far, but I am happy to have his leather Swedish hockey skates.

Nancy and the other girls (Emma and Grace) went to a near by park and had a swing while we carved the ice.

We ended 2007 with a kid party. Sounds crazy but it was fun. We invited over a family from our ward and had a little movie night. A movie was the activity but horsing around was the real fun.

Our neighbors had a little firework display around 8 and we settled down around 10 PM. Not too exciting, but we are looking forward towards a new year 2008!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Clean Slate

I love the New Year's holiday. It feels so fresh with a clean slate. In keeping with the perfect day as a start for a perfect year, I'd better get off the computer and read my scriptures followed by a homemade dinner for my family made from ingredients from our year supply followed by a devotional with the kids surrounding the fire in a quilt I made with my own hands from homespun cotton. There will be no unkind word said following which the kids, in their matching leiderhausen, will skip off to their rooms hand-in-hand to have silent reading time. Do you think I can keep this up all year?

I've Had It With You Santa!

Dear Santa,

I'm writing to tell you that I'm ready to line my kids up and come clean on this whole Santa thing. You know, as well as I do, that I do all your shopping and bidding just like for the rest of the family. I'm good-natured enough to let you have all the credit but the stress is going to kill me! Sarah has been changing her mind for the last three weeks on what she is going to ask you for tonight when she sees you at the Ward Christmas Party. My garage is filled with the items she was going to ask for but has changed her mind about.

Sarah is now very set on a Baby Alive Boy & Girl baby. I've researched it and yes the "Boy" baby is anatomically correct. Little does she know, the boy baby is nearly impossible to find and thus when found, it is very expensive. Honestly, Santa, it would be easier for me to conceive a boy baby than to find this Baby Alive Boy doll. (And that's saying a lot seeing as Scott & I have produced 75% girls.) I've tried to talk her out of it stating that I don't think our sweet little girl should have a baby with a "peeny" to which she giggles and laughs hysterically. She tells me she gets to decide what she wants for Christmas from Santa, "and that's final!" We've discussed this at length. Scott wants to know who set up this tradition that you get whatever the heck you asked for anyway! (I have no sympathy for this comment because he doesn't help me either! He is in the same boat as you, Santa. Gets all the credit with no effort at all.)

After yet more research, I've learned that Corolle has a much cuter boy baby, also anatomically correct, and alas it is available. I've convinced Sarah this is the one to ask for. She had me write the exact name down for her: "Corolle Paul Wet and Bath Baby" which she will take with her tonight when she sees you.

Disaster was averted when Ben's first choice item (the i-coaster, out-of-stock everywhere and a very expensive item on the secondhand market) was replaced by the available Roboquad. Emma luckily doesn't fully get it. I have an assortment from which I can attempt to persuade her to choose from.

Frankly, I will sleep much better tonight after the grand meeting is done. I will be penniless (and Scott too) but I will sleep well knowing that I have not been responsible for undoing the magic of Christmas for my children. Even though I am sorely tempted! I just wanted you to know how I am feeling because I believe in open communication.

Until tonight,

Nancy

By Popular Demand

Here's the photo referred to in the previous blog.

Wow! What a kick looking for this picture! Thanks for asking Chelsea! I have discovered that I actually have triplet daughters born in a spread of 6 years. Apparently we have one recipe with minor changes in the ingredients here and there.

10 Tips From a Harried Homemaker

Here's a little diddy I submitted for a ward RS book. Thought it was bloggable so here it is...

• When trying to measure up to the in-laws as a newlywed, offer something you know how to do well to help with the Thanksgiving meal like filling the glasses with ice. This will prevent the “deer-in-the-headlights” look of panic when you are asked to mash the potatoes.



• At the beginning of the year, buy only belated birthday cards and send them at the end of each month to family and friends.
  



• Keep your house messy so that on the occasion it is clean when someone stops by, they will be pleasantly surprised.
  



• Don’t overmix salad dressing in the blender, unless you are trying to make your own mayonnaise.
  



• Whoever scrapbooks gets to re-write family history from her own favorable viewpoint.
  



• The best way to look thinner in a photo is to learn how to use Photoshop.
  



• Don’t forget to turn the car engine off, take the keys out of the ignition and lock the doors before you go into a doctor’s appointment.
  



• Don’t say anything to your husband when you realize he spends time every night rearranging the dishwasher before turning it on. Go ahead and continue to load it in a most inefficient manner and be grateful that he is so helpful in the kitchen.
  



• Always make sure you have your driver’s license with you if you’re speeding down a residential street on the way to school pick-up and your kids have gotten out of their carseats. When you tell your husband about the incident, be positive. Tell him the police officer was really nice and only ticketed you for just one of your infractions.
  



• When your daughter sprinkles cocoa all over her bedroom, scold her firmly but with kindness and then get your camera and photograph it because someday it really will be funny. This is highly recommended for any garden variety messes that take place.

P.S. Note the chin removal...still perfecting that art.

The "Nancy" Pose

Oh, I'm so prolific today but I just read a request for the famous "Nancy" pose. Here's a perfect example....

When time for a photo to be snapped, dash behind anyone. This is much more successful when people are sitting but it can be done when people are standing.

When I get desperate, I have been known to use Photoshop.

Follow-Up

I will be lucky to get the Christmas tree in the house, with lights and ornaments before December 24th. Scotty did not convey the message that he adheres to a strict 20-step program to get the tree into the house. He just described about the first 6 steps. We have a long way to go people! The consolation prize is that we'll get to enjoy the Christmas tree until well into January since the take-down process is a 25-step program...

On a separate note...because she is one of our blogreaders, Happy Birthday to my niece, Emily! I have great memories of growing up with her. We have a number of things in common including we both love to play the piano and at any family "work" party growing up, neither of us could really be found working. I remember the days of trying to measure what percentage of her body were her legs, running after her to try to cut a straggler long curl in the back and hearing comments like, "why are your knees so huge" to which I'd answer, "because I'm 13 years older than you!". Have a great day!

What's in a Tree?

Finding the right tree is one of the more important Christmas rituals in our family. We used to go to one of those local pop up tree lots. Meaning that they pop up on the corner right before Thanksgiving about as fast as it takes to clear out the pumpkins from the same corner lot after Halloween. This is not a bad thing, however we discovered that this is one of the most expensive options for choosing a tree. (We are standing in front of our chosen tree this year.)Expect to pay $90 to $130 or more for a tree on the "pop up lot". (I'm not even going to discuss flocking ... I've never done it and if I have my way I never will. I am also not going to discuss the fake tree, I know there a lot of believers out there, but after all is said and done what is there to discuss? No scent, no thought, no imagination, no, no, no!)

Eureka! About 2 or 3 years ago we discovered the Home Depot Christmas tree. I have to admit I was a bit weary but I was pleasantly surprised. The trees were fresh and good looking.

(You can tell if a tree is fresh if you take a single needle and bend it in half. If it snaps or breaks in half it is fresh. If it just bends.... find another tree.)

They also have pretty good service (even for Home Depot!)They will give you a fresh cut, and "package" the tree in a nylon netting for easy transporting.

This year we departed from the pop up lot (no surprise) and Home Depot! It came down to time. It would have taken time we just did not have to make to trek to Home Depot and "Find" the tree that belongs to us.

Sidebar... what does "Find" a tree really mean? It means searching the rows of trees looking for that tree that "speaks" to me... er US. I guess you could call me a tree whisperer. At the end of the day I will find the tree that just looks and feels right. That is the only way I can explain it.


Today we picked up the kids from school with the intention to go immediately to find our tree. We passed by Nob Hill Foods and they had set up a pseudo Pop Up Lot. I was of course immediately against the idea, however when I was across from the lot (and when I found out that all the trees were about $35) I heard a tree "speaking" to me. The third tree we looked at we chose. A record for tree whispering.

The Nob Hill pop up lot did not have all the amenities that I am used to at other PUL's like a fresh cut service, a hole already in the base of the trunk, and a wrapped up tree for easy transport. I guess you just have to lower expectations with a supermarket Christmas Tree. Well I am just happy that we were able to find out tree at a very good price and Nancy was happy that we were able to find it quickly. If you think that finding the tree is the end of the story you are sadly mistaken. This is the part of the ritual that drives Nancy crazy. Once we get the tree home we trim it up a bit, and then spray it down with the hose and let it soak in a bucket of water for a couple of days. So the tree we purchased today (Wednesday) will probably not make it into the house until at least Friday or Saturday. It is just one of those things I like to do. No one likes a dirty tree in the house. I am sure that Nancy will be following up this entry with the other view of this most important tradition.



It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas!

Just Because

Heaven knows I take a zillion photos but I finally got the photo that captures what I see all the time in our cutie little Grace. Where has three months gone? I can't be "done" with a little face like this looking at me all the time. Don't worry, I'm not committing myself either way but a look like this is what it's all about for me.

P.S. Gracie is also getting full face time on the blog because I had to choose a photo for the Christmas Card photo that wasn't her best. The true sacrifice of a mother is having to choose the picture with the greatest percentage of kids looking good even at the expense of one kid not looking as great. Of course, the ultimate deciding factor of a family photo choice is the one where the mom looks good regardless of everyone else. I didn't have to worry about that one this year.

A night with the AQUABATS!

On November 27th (last Wednesday night) Ben and I went to see the Aquabats! It was so much fun. The put on one of the best concerts I have seen them perform. They played some of their newer music and also some great older songs I haven't heard for years. I was truly FUN! The Bat Commander in my first cousin, so we have followed the band for quite a number of years. It is great seeing them have so much success!

This is the "Bat Commander" during the concert. Below is a stock photo of the band in action. You can tell we are related because we have the same body profile ... I don't feel so bad any more because he is like a super hero!

Christian Jacobs is also a co-creator of the kids show on Noggin "Yo Gabba Gabba!" This is DJ Lance who stars on the show and he was touring with the Aquabats.

Click on DJ Lance to visit GabbaGabba land.

We met Lance and found him to be the nicest person. He was willing to talk to us like there was no one else in the room. Ben was really excited to meet him because he recognized him from Yo Gabba Gabba. Emma wished she had seen Lance because she LOVES "Gabba Gabba" as she calls it. I was really impressed with Lance, a very genuine and friendly person that has not let any of his fame go to his head. This is Ben and Lance right after the concert.

This is Ben and Christian back stage after the concert. We got to meet all the band members and as already mentioned DJ Lance.

Sarah has informed me that she will be going to the Aquabats the next time they come to Slims in San Francisco. Personally I can hardly wait!

Oops! This was actually posted by Scotty and NOT Nancy!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a somewhat nontraditional thanksgiving this year. We spent our holiday week in Pacific Grove next to the Beach. We had the most spectacular weather with sunny days and temp in the upper 60's. We had fun with Family and friends who came to play for a couple of days.

This is me and my sister Karen. It is fun to have a sibling who is close by and we enjoy their family so much.















I am sorry I do not have a picture of her oldest daughter Christy or her husband Danny. Danny and I had a great day golfing on the Tuesday before thanksgiving. We were paired up with Russ and Mickey, two retired gents who knew absolutely every soul we encountered on the course. A bit intimidating but friendly guys that put up with a couple of amateurs. Later that night Danny and I spent a good amount of time sparing with my new obsession Mashoonga! sabers. Yes Danny, I await our next battle padawan!





Here are the Lucy's, Danny and Christina's Lucy and our Emma Lucy. Cute Cute Cute!












My kids LOVE their cousins, and they are so kind to their younger counterparts. This is me and my kids with their cousins Katy and Becca and Becca's "friend" Kyle.


I took the kids to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and had a blast. Here are the kids next to the main otter exhibit. I swear we did see otters! Unfortunately they did not make the photo.












We had a fun time on thanksgiving day with friends from Church. They joined us on Turkey day as we enjoyed our special meal together. Afterwards we all went and saw Disney's new movie out "Enchanted" I recommend this movie to everyone. It was excellent definitely a 5 star and probably worth another viewing at the theatre!













Our thanksgiving day ended as the sun set into the Pacific.





Wow Christmas is just around the corner! Happy holidays!