A Disney Halloween Party (And, Yes, I Know I'm a Little Late)

John's work had a Halloween party for the cast members and their families.  Here are a few pictures.


Some unique Mickey cupcakes.

Michael (dressed as Peter Parker) volunteered to compete in the donut eating contest, but he was too cool to look at the camera.  

But he wasn't too cool to eat the donuts.

And he won a prize (actually they gave everyone a prize), but these are some pretty cool books (the Percy Jackson series in hardcover).

They also had a really fun pumpkin carving contest.  There were some of the most unique pumpkins I've ever seen.   There was one giving birth to a smaller pumpkin, but I didn't get a picture of it.

Jon

My brother, Jon, died in a car accident Thanksgiving weekend 1998. If he had lived, he would have turned 33 today. I didn't want to let this day pass by without mentioning him.




As sad as I was (and still am) that I don't get to see or hear from my brother daily, I learned a few things during this trial/experience. Some of those things are:

1.) Heavenly Father loves me unconditionally, and all my experiences "shall work together for [my] good." He can make good out of any trial if I allow Him to do so.

2.) I am blessed with a wonderful family, including two parents who raised me in a righteous home and taught me correct principles. I have 10 siblings (7 sisters and 3 brothers). I love them very much and am so grateful for them. Often I am asked if it was a good experience growing up in such a large family, and it was for me. I always had someone to play with, someone to cry with, and someone to fight with (when I was so inclined).

3.) The blessings of the Temple are real. Families can be together for eternity with the family unit preserved. Marriage and family relations do not need to end at death. Not only can I be with my husband and children again, but I can also be with my parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.




4.) Jesus Christ came to this earth to set an example for each of us, to atone for our sins, and to be resurrected. These three things allow me the opportunity to be resurrected and to live with my Heavenly Father and family again beyond the veil.


5.) Despite my imperfections, I can return to live with my Heavenly Father again. No matter how hard I try, I will never be perfect. On my own, I can never be good enough to earn the privilege of living with God again, but through the atonement of Jesus Christ, I can live with my Heavenly Father again.

Kind of a silly list...


There's this "list" going around on Facebook that people are supposed to complete when they are "tagged." I was tagged a little while ago, but didn't create my list until last night. Here it is in it's entirety.

25 Random Things (that you probably didn't know you wanted to know about me)


1.) I hate wearing socks (unless my feet are cold at home, then I wear them w/o shoes). I have probably a dozen pairs of sandals and wear them year-round, even when it's raining.

2.) I grew up in a very large family. I'm the fourth of eleven children. (Yes, eleven! 8 girls, 3 boys. Same mom and dad, no multiple births.) It was fantastic! I always had someone to play with or talk to.

3.) I married my high school sweetheart, and we've been married for almost 19 years. I love him more than the day I married him, and he is the best husband ever!

4.) I love girly things (makeup, clothes, etc), yet I have four sons. Not one daughter.

5.) When I was a little girl, I thought I'd be a stay at home mom, but wasn't so sure once I started working. However, once I had kids and was able to be home with them, I realized it agreed with me. I enjoy being there for all my kids "firsts" and hearing about their day.

6.) After years of insisting I would never live in California because there are earthquakes, I found myself moving to California. It turns out little earthquakes aren't so bad, but I've never been through a big one. That thought still terrifies me, but I am prepared with our 72 hour kit and other necessities in case the big one hits.

7.) The hardest thing I've ever had to do was call my parents and tell them that my younger brother, Jon, died in a car accident while living with me in California.

8.) My brother's death changed me in indescribable ways. Although I still miss him everyday, my faith in a loving Heavenly Father has grown. I know He loves each person individually and is aware of all our struggles. Without His help, I would not have been able to endure the aftermath of my brother's death.

9.) My son, A.J., is named Adam Jon. Not John after my husband, but Jon after my brother.

10.) After high school, I was so putting so much energy into my studies that I dropped out of college after one semester (which I now regret). I've gone back to school a few times and finally managed to earn my AA last year. I plan to continue my studies, possibly forever, because I really love college this time around. (I'm editing this after the fact, this should read that I put so much energy into my high school studies that I was burnt out, so I dropped out of college after one semester.)

11.) I went on the game show Supermarket Sweep with my best friend, Sheri, several years ago. We almost won the big prize of $5,000, except we couldn't solve our last clue, despite having more than 40 seconds left. It was Uno (the candy bar). Despite not winning the "big prize", it was a really fun experience.

12.) I try to read the scriptures everyday and find that when I do, my day goes better.

13.) When I was in high school, I thought I was fat. Mind you, I was never a super skinny girl, but I would love to be the size I was in high school.

14.) I love swimming.

15.) When I was 12, a woman at church offered free swimming lessons to anyone who wanted them. Although I could already swim, a cute boy in our ward was taking them (for a scout merit badge), so I decided to take them. They weren't as fun as I thought they'd be, because she made us swim a lot of laps. That summer, my family rented a beach house in Kitty Hawk, NC, and I almost drowned. I went swimming in the ocean with huge waves and realized I couldn't get out. If Sis. Markoff had not made me swim all those laps, I would not have lasted long enough for my sister, Heather to find me and help me. (Thanks Mary and Heather!)

16.) My children bring out the best and worst in me. I try to show only the best, but have my bad days, just like everyone else.

17.) I am a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

18.) At church, I am currently serving in the Primary (the children's organization) as 1st councilor in the Primary Presidency and the Primary Pianist.

19.) I have played the piano for about 30 years. Playing the piano relaxes me like nothing else, and I am so grateful to my mother for paying for piano lessons for all those years!

20.) Living far from my family (sisters, brothers, parents) is hard sometimes, but I have good friends who make it easier.

21.) I feel guilty that my kids don't get to see their cousins very often.

22.) My goal as a parent is to love my children and to teach them the skills they need to be happy adults who contribute to society.

23.) I have skinny wrists and ankles, even though the rest of me is no longer skinny.

24.) I have decided to let the gray hair grow in and have stopped coloring my hair.

25.) I love talking to my sisters and am grateful for unlimited long distance plans. I try to talk to family members at least 2-3 times a week, even if it's only for 5 minutes.

Greedy Hands, Impetigo, and Field Trips

Lots of things are happening in the Nguyen home, as it is usually a busy time of year for everyone.

On Tuesday, November 25, I went on a field trip with Michael to the Castaic Lake Water Treatment Facility. It was fascinating! I enjoyed it a bit more than the kids, but Michael and I had a good time together. Here are a few pictures.






On Tuesday night, a couple of blisters (that I thought were cold sores) popped up on AJ's bottom lip. They didn't bother him much, so I bought some over the counter medication to address any discomfort and sent him to school on Wednesday. When I was quizzing the kids on Dolch List words (sight words), I noticed another child had a similar looking blister. On Thanksgiving, the blisters spread. There were a few on his chin and a couple near his nose.




We took AJ to the doctor on Friday. The doctor said it was probably impetigo, so she took two swabs and sent them to the lab (one to test for Herpes, which causes cold sores, and one to test for impetigo). She also sent us home with an anti-biotic. The next morning, he looked much better. On Monday, she called and told us that AJ has impetigo caused by the strep bacteria (the same bacteria that causes strep throat.) I called the school to let them know and they informed the teachers to be on the look out. They also pulled the boy (who had the blister on Wednesday) into the nurse's office to see if it was impetigo.



Thanksgiving was quiet in our home, but good. We had a nice dinner with our favorite dishes. John, Michael, AJ, and I went to see Bolt (Jacob and David were not interested in seeing it). I enjoy Thanksgiving more every year, because it reminds me to take time to reflect on the innumerable blessings my Heavenly Father has given me, but it does make me a bit homesick. I think of all my family and close friends and miss seeing you during the holidays.


On Friday, November 28, it marked the 10 year "anniversary" of Jon's death. It was a bittersweet day, but I am grateful for my testimony of the gospel and my knowledge that I will see him again. I am so grateful for the blessings of the temple and that my parents were sealed for time and eternity, knitting us into an eternal family.

On Saturday, Michael, David, and I played Greedy Hands. I won and scored high enough that I sent a copy of our scorecard to the greedyhands.com website to join the 10,000 point club. Everyone in our family, except John and Jacob, really like Greedy Hands, and we really enjoyed playing with everyone when we were in Maryland.