Friday, April 26, 2013

Flashback Friday

08/06/06
Laila has adopted an imaginary friend and talks to him and plays with him.  His name is Jarrett and he lives in the cereal cupboard.  She climbs in there with him and has long conversations.

Laila loves to read scripture stories, and can't get enough of them, especially the bloody Lamanite ones.

She is good at helping dizzy Wayne get around in the dark.  She tells him what the floor is like and how many stairs there are to help him navigate.  She tells him that she can do it "cuz she has bat eyes."

Laila also decided it would be great to "be God, then I would never have to go to bed at night."  She also prays for everyones ailments, which is a good thing.  She has a direct line so we are all hoping we are on her list.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

My people

Been going through some old pics lately.
I love these people...
 Gorgeous and....Goofy

1984
I am a part of them.
My momma is still fighting the cancer fight.  It's been a tough 4 weeks.  Nothing staying down, nausea, a hospital stay, no energy.  She is determined to beat this cancer thing though.  I know it's a bad day when she doesn't have her wig or makeup on, and every once in a while I will catch her in the middle of a pity party...but most of the time when I go to visit, I'm the one being buoyed up after talking to her. Momma is always so positive.

My dad is great.  He is so kind and funny.  They are a great team.  He's her gopher.... "Lyle go for this"..."go for that"....and he gets out of his chair and does it.  I'm proud of him.  It's hard to watch your sweetheart suffer and I know he wishes this to all go away...but he tells her her gray mohawk is gorgeous as he holds her puke pan.

True Love.

I am off to China with my honey...but boy, I will miss my people

Friday, April 19, 2013

Funny Flashback Friday

7/17/06
Laila is just being cute Laila.  At Bear Lake, the kids were asking cousin Preston, "What's faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?"  Preston answered, "Superman".  Laila said, "uh-huh... Jesus.  HE can do anything."  She is so smart.

I was playing the I love you to the moon and back game with her, coming up with more ideas...finally Laia siad, "I love you more than Jesus does...and that's more than anything else."  She really does have a spiritual perspective on things.

Laila loves to hear her adoption story, or, "Tell me how I became your little girl and you flew on an airplane."   She could hear this tale over and over.  I hope it brings her comfort and let's her know how much she is really loved and so wanted.  She has noticed her beautiful brown skin this year.  She says she looks like chocolate-- which is great because we ALL LOVE CHOCOLATE!  We make sure she knows that color doesn't matter.  It just is.  It's interesting to listen to her talk to other kids about skin color though.  She says she could be Chinese but her eyes aren't little.  Some of the little cousins think she is Chinese.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Lost Wallet

Last Monday, Wayne ran to Walmart to get the turbo tax program that he needed.  He bought it and between the checkout counter and the car he realized he didn’t have his wallet.  He was pretty sure he left it at the checkout stand and went directly back in to see.  No wallet.  He headed to the cart parking where he dropped his cart on the way out of the store… no wallet.  He was sick.  He went to the service desk and reported it missing.  He also called the police because he had $1400  in cash in his wallet  and asked to look at the surveillance cameras.    No go on the cameras til Tuesday they said…but the Police took down the report and Wayne waited by the checkout stands hoping to have someone  either use his wallet or  turn the wallet in and he would reward them with a hundred  bucks.   No luck.  We cancelled all of our cards. He came home discouraged from the lost money and the taxes would have to wait.

 The Police called on Tuesday night and said they had Wayne’s wallet.  The cameras showed Wayne coming back into the store…passing his wallet which was in the seat of the cart he had just used, and heading to the checkout stand.  Then a man and his son came in, the man pocketed the wallet and was pushing the cart into the store as Wayne went to the cart area to search.  He just missed it.  The man went through the whole store…he said ....debating whether to turn the wallet in or not, and when he saw how much money was in it…decided to take it.  The police got the wallet back to Wayne with NO money in it.  The man was behind on his house payments and used the $1400 at the bank that morning.   This is a disabled vet, wife and three kids, lives n NSL, an ambulance driver.  No criminal offenses, not even a parking ticket…and now this crime.   I call it his Jean Val Jean moment…and it’s sad.
He broke the law and a commandment.  Thou shalt not steal.

This man could have been obedient to the laws and turned the money and wallet in.  I'm sure the Lord would have blessed him had he done this.  He could have used it for a teaching moment for his son....  "We need this money, but it's not ours and we will turn it in." 
 This was his test and he failed.  Good thing there wasn’t $1500 in the wallet or this would be considered a felony and the guy would be sitting in jail right now.  At  $1400 it’s a misdemeanor with time spent at court, a criminal record and restitution having to be made. 

 I’ve thought a lot about this.  What will my Jean Val Jean moment be?  Will I steal for my families welfare?  Or will I hold true to what is right?   It’s a difficult choice, that’s for sure  and one I hope to never have to face.  I know this life is about overcoming the natural man. I know if we are obedient to the commandments, we will be blessed...even when it's hard.

This wallet stealing has brought back to my memory a time when I took a purse.  I remember taking a small black purse with a gold chain off of the playground at Bountiful Elementary school.  I would have been 8 or 9 years old.  Old enough to know better.   I found a little girl's purse and instead of turning it in, I sneaked it to my house and hid it in a drawer in my bedroom.  It was filled with treasure: a dolls head, some candy, a few coins...all the things that should be in a purse.  It was amazing that I found it. I couldn't believe my luck.  I remember opening that drawer, looking in at the purse and instead of feeling happy I felt so guilty.  I couldn't even enjoy it.  I couldn't tell my mom or show my sister or play with any of  it.  After a few days I took the purse back to the playground, put it right where I found it, and went inside and told the office that it was there.  My guilt ridden days were over.  I remember this all so clearly.  It really affected me.  I'm glad the Holy Ghost was with me and inspired me to finally make the right choice and take the purse filled with treasure back. 

Monday, April 15, 2013

Recently read.....

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman
In pre-WWII Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion. Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York, there's an inescapable glance of recognition between two strangers...
Providence is giving Lenka and Josef one more chance. From the glamorous ease of life in Prague before the Occupation, to the horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost Wife explores the power of first love, the resilience of the human spirit- and the strength of memory.

Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss
How the food giants hooked us.   The explosive story of the rise of the processed food industry and its link to the emerging obesity epidemic. Michael Moss reveals how companies use salt, sugar, and fat to addict us and, more important, how we can fight back.

Matched by Ally Condie
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow
Crossed  (Book 2 of the series)
Reached  ( Book 3 of this series)

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
Survival for Ki Lim and Sang Ly is a daily battle at Stung Meanchey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of Cambodia. They make their living scavenging recyclables from the trash. Life would be hard enough without the worry for their chronically ill child, Nisay, and the added expense of medicines that are not working. Just when things seem worst, Sang Ly learns a secret about the ill-tempered rent collector who comes demanding money--a secret that sets in motion a tide that will change the life of everyone it sweeps past. The Rent Collector is a story of hope, of one womans journey to save her son and another womans chance at redemption. It demonstrates that even in a dump in Cambodia--perhaps especially in a dump in Cambodia--everyone deserves a second chance.

Belle Canto by Ann Patchet
In an unnamed South American country, a world-renowned soprano sings at a birthday party in honor of a visiting Japanese industrial titan. His hosts hope that Mr. Hosokawa can be persuaded to build a factory in their Third World backwater. Alas, in the opening sequence, just as the accompanist kisses the soprano, a ragtag band of 18 terrorists enters the vice-presidential mansion through the air conditioning ducts. Their quarry is the president, who has unfortunately stayed home to watch a favorite soap opera. And thus, from the beginning, things go awry. Joined by no common language except music, the 58 international hostages and their captors forge unexpected bonds. Time stands still, priorities rearrange themselves. Ultimately, of course, something has to give, even in a novel so imbued with the rich imaginative potential of magic realism. But in a fractious world, Bel Canto remains a gentle reminder of the transcendence of beauty and love.


I really liked all of these books, but the one I can't stop thinking about, one I keep recommending...and the one that really moved me was The Rent Collector.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Flashback Friday

03/26/06
Laila is a funny little thing.  She is always talking to God.  The other day in the  car she was mumbling to her self and then she said, "I was just talking to God.  I asked him if we could have a puppy when I'm 7,8,9,10 and he said yes.  One with little poops, that is named Cinderella."  She says this all matter of factly of course.

Another drive in the car time, she was seriously checking out her belly button.  I asked her what she was doing and she said, "Just seeing if there are spiders in my belly button."  I told her there are no spiders in belly buttons.  She disagreed, "There are, I knowed it."

Laila likes telling people about her family.  "I have 2 moms and 3 dads and lots of brothers and sisters."  The sisters include cousin Lindsey Welch and friend, Gina Nickl.  She would go on to explain, "I have my birth mom and my mom mom.  My birth dad, my real dad and my Heavenly Dad and my brothers, Addison, Landon, Truman, Monson and Jesus...but I don't get to see him very much."
She says amazing things that really bring us all up short and remind us how close heaven really is for her.  Just the other day she said, "Jesus can get rid of the devil, but he won't cuz, that's against Jesus' plan."   I don't know where she got that knowledge from, but it's true.  She loves going to church and being with her teachers and learning more about Jesus.


______________
At 4 years old, it was so easy.  Now I have a pre teen.... it's harder.  I still feel of her sweet, gentle spirit and know she is close to the Lord.  It's just hard having to watch her grow up and experience mean people, inconsiderate friends, awkward boys, and body issues.   Oh to be four forever when all we worried about were spiders in belly buttons!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Makes me smile....

This Giraffe caught my eye because of Bre.  ( It's her patronus)  I  bet it's thinking, "Seriously, this is how I have to drink?"

And what about this little boy band?  Move over nsync....get out of the way One Direction.... we got it all goin on!
Laila is loving the trampoline.  She has been working on her back flips, back hand springs and aerials.
Elder Monson "Money" Welch has written some more raps and I'd like to share one of his favorites... it's about Scripture Power.

We're growing up in times when we're surrounded by Satan
No matter what we do, you know there's always temptation
All the good values we used to have; now archaic
In the media, happiness they try to fake it
Makin us believe that it comes from inebriation
But the equation is that it's just exaggeration
If we were on our own, we'd fall right in these cracks
But we've been given something to guide our lifelong maps
They call it scripture power and it comes from up above
From our Father down to his children sending it with love
When the devil is out to get me.... #prescind
With the scriptures i'm like a veteran #seasoned
Knowing the prophets words makin me vindicated
When all around me is tumbling down and I feel hated
I take that virtue right off the page, build on the rock
Start my foundation right I ain't talkin cinder block
All the way from Genesis on through Moroni
They tell about a savior who came to save my life
I get the strength that I need that's what's called a miracle
Knowin I'm loved in this world cause all my haters spiritual
They can't ever get to me when I got that armour on
I don't need to hit the gym scriptures make me megatron
Like a bon-fire the word helps me to keep my glow
I ain't slo-mo it's the only way that I can show
I really need his help to be with me every hour
I'll prosper in every way, ya I'm talkin scripture power!

He then sent me this explanation of words and hashtags....he knew he needed to school me.
(prescind means to seperate or single out or to withdraw someone's thoughts to try and turn them away from something and the # is called a hashtag and in a rap it's used when you describe the word and then you put the hashtag with the word at the end of the line.  You actually say hashtag in the rap)


This quote really made me think.....
AND......this is the Mermaid  I painted and  gave  to Bre.  She loved it...which made me smile.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Flashback Friday

02/05/06
Laila loves Joseph Smith.  We saw the Work and the Glory 2 and then the new Church Legacy theatre show---Joseph--and she has been enthralled ever since.  She is always asking me to tell the "Jovis Smith story."   She likes all of the parts, but especially the tar and feather parts.  Then he gets shot, "but the church stayed... I love Jovis so much... I want to kiss him and hug him."  I told her she could up in heaven so she immediately prayed to Jesus, "Jesus, Please let me hug Jovis Smith."  Then when she was done, she asked me if Jesus heard her prayer.  I said, "sure."  She said, "my heart says yes."  She is a spiritual giant.

Speaking of Giants, she is convinced that you  ( Addison) are one. Yesterday she came up stairs with a big spoon and informed me, "this is Addison's spoon because he is a giant."  It really us funny.  If there is a balloon on the ceiling, she knows only you can get it down, and not with a chair either.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Spring Break-St George - 10 countdown

"Road Trip"...with Heather Kofford, Laila and cousin Savannah

10 x 60 minutes = time in the car
9  x a billion = the times we sang/did the cup song from Pitch Perfect
8 late night root beer floats
7 hours of pool time in one day
6 legs to shave
5 mouths to feed
4 bike rides
3 shopping bags
2 movies..the Croods and Jack the Giant Slayer
1 exhausted dad....Wayne has had enough estrogen to last him for a good long while.  It was just like girls camp, except without the dirt and teary testimonies at the end.