A Day in the Life...

This is more of an undertaking I was prepared for.  Not the writing... the taking pictures and posting.  Geez!  But I'm grateful to have so much to be grateful for.  I really am blessed.  It is amazing to me how many tender mercies from my Heavenly Father I receive every second of each day.    

This year we spent Thanksgiving Day with the Beck clan.  I think it was the first time in many, many months we were all together for at least one hour, maybe two.  Savannah had just had her wisdom teeth out the day before (which was the ONLY time she could), so she, Tom, and the kiddos didn't stay long. I got there a few hours early to help set up and get ready, only to find Shandee had used her incredible decorating and arranging talent and had everything already done.  We waited around until everyone showed up about an hour late.  Classic. We (meaning I) didn't really coordinate the vegetable dish so I made 5 pounds of cooked carrots and so did Amber.  Oh well.  The kids ran around and screamed until we sent them to the basement.  The grown-ups watched YouTube videos of adults acting like turkeys and getting (pretend) shot and carried off.  We read reviews of Haribo Sugar Free Gum Bears, which resulted in tears of laughter.  We talked about...

A few weeks ago I got called to the Primary Presidency as 1st Counselor.  I was super excited the time of the call, but by the end of church and after I was set apart, I felt very inadequate and overwhelmed, thinking I probably didn't have the time and unsure how I would juggle it all with an already packed schedule. Then I listened to a Conference Talk from Henry B. Eyring titled, "Rise to the Call."  It is amazing! The Lord chooses, I have complete faith in this.  I immediately felt reassured, excited, devoted, and craved to be a higher spiritual being.  I have found, in the last two weeks, that my prayers have increased in spirituality probably tenfold.  And I thought my prayers were pretty okay before, so this higher realm for me is quite humbling. Plus, the ladies I work with are also amazing.  When our ward was first organized, I met a gal by the name of Rebecca Warden.  I immediately took to her and worked with her a little bit in Relief Soc...

The "little" Helferich cousins, in all their distinct personalities...  Copper and her writing skills.  I found a note on Taryn's bed, after a rough day when Taryn fell down the stairs and bruised her tailbone.  Did you break your bum... hahahaha...  And below, at 6 a.m. one morning, Copper started typing  her life story.  It was serious business that even took precedence over breakfast.  And below that, a snapshot of a journal entry of how she knows Jesus loves her. The girls are incredibly blessed to have a fantastic dad.  Some nights he's their pet dinosour and some nights he's their cuddle bug.  We're so glad that he's our dad!  And random life... sure love this family of mine!

I took on a journal challenge of gratitude that lasts each day throughout November.  I like it because it's more than just writing lists of things I've grateful for.  I decided to include them on here so the girls can read them later (since we print these out in books)!

 Everyone should get themselves a pair of gals like these.  They are so much fun!

The last several Fridays, we've dropped off carpool at school and headed to my office.  We stop off to get the littles pink cookies and a drink from the gas station.  That, plus the likely-germ-infested toys from my office, keep them busy for at least three hours while I get some paperwork done.  It's an easy way to be with them and get some work done!  I hope they have good memories of going to "mom's work with the big horse and the colored blocks"!

Micah: sometimes when I laugh so hard my pee comes out. Tim: wait, what?? Get off my lap! Are you serious? Micah: well... (laughing uncontrollably)

Dakota: I wish I was married right now. Me: Why? Dakota: Then I would have children.  And I wouldn't have to do jobs.

The other day Copper came home from school really excited and sat down to write about her life.  She kept saying, "That's a lot of detail!"  She explained that the more words in a sentence, the more detail it has.  Pretty good for a six year old. I decided to send her teacher a picture of it and her reply made the situation a lot clearer.  They had a children's author, Gary Hogg, come to their school and talk about writing books.  Her teacher was so impressed with Copper's writing and her enthusiasm she asked permission to send it to the author.  When I told Copper she BEAMED.  So fun!

Our Primary program is this Sunday.  I'm quite sure the twins will be hiding under their chairs.  If not, then on their teacher's laps and definitely NOT singing. Although, they've been singing our songs for weeks now, including, "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." There isn't anything I am more sure of than the gospel.  While the media makes LDS announcements and policy practices a thing of horror, it doesn't stand in the way of my faith.  When I read the article today stating children of LGBTQ partners/spouses had to be an adult to be baptized, it made sense to me.  I understand the uproar, I get it.  Doesn't change my faith or my inclination to be all loving to everyone. All loving, kindness to everyone, doesn't mean the gospel is an "anything goes" membership.  The LDS church isn't all inclusive.  It is difficult being a member in that it carries great commitment, outstanding faith, absolute and un...

A couple of weeks ago I went on a fieldtrip with Copper's class to the Museum of Natural History.  Being in charge of four kids sounds like no big deal until you discover: One of them is a runner One of them is the s-l-o-w-e-s-t walker in the world One of them likes to put her hands in things she shouldn't (needing first aid attention) And one of them is so tired she lays down wherever she can The best part of the day for my 1st grader was when she found her name next to a display on Copper mines... and lunchtime.  She rode the bus up and was so tired all the way there.  When I met her up there she said, "I was afraid to sleep on the bus because what if I didn't wake up and I just kept going and going because they left me there?" Haha.