Cancer stinks!

Matthew got a haircut this week. It was a bit overdue. Here's his mop of hair before. Matthew's crazy curls fit his personality so well. CRAZY! Adorably crazy though. Yesterday Matthew wanted the iPad that Adam was playing with and Adam asked Matthew "what's the magic word?" trying to get Matthew to say please. Matthew replied "hocus, pocus".

The first weekend of November we attended the funeral of dear friend who died of colon cancer after a 3 year fight. She was just 42 years old and lived just a few houses up from us. We had gotten to know her and her husband very well in the short time we lived here and loved her so much. Shortly after moving in she invited us to their home for dinner. She was so welcoming and serving others as she faced the end of her life. For months our boys have been praying for this family and we've had  lots of opportunities to talk to the boys about death and the plan of salvation because of our friend. A few days after she had died Adam was saying a prayer at the dinner table and prayed that "Marianne would come back to earth very soon." He meant the resurrection but it was such a tender prayer and so hard to explain to him and it might not be for a long time before Marianne's body and spirit would be back together again. After the funeral, we had a FHE lesson on the spirit world and Jacob asked if the spirit world was on earth then why couldn't Marianne just come visit Mike (her husband) sometimes and help him feel better? The boys have asked such sweet questions about this experience and I've been so grateful for all the times I've had to bear my testimony to them of God's plan for each of us personally and the plan of salvation. David tried to answer Jacob's question by telling him some of the times that he has felt his father with him even though his Dad passed away many years ago and the comfort that has brought him. He told Jacob he was very excited to see his Dad in the spirit world some day. Jacob respond that since David had so much gray hair now he'd probably get to see his dad real soon. Okay, so maybe not all the lessons are sinking in but we've had some wonderful conversations. Marianne was the bravest, most optimistic cancer fighter. She had so much faith in her Heavenly Father's plan for her. I'm so grateful I got to know her and I heard her bear the most beautiful testimony of faith I'd ever heard. I even had the very special chance to sit with her for a few hours a few weeks before she passed away. At her funeral, her 2 sisters and 2 brother played "I know that My Redeemer lives" as a string quartet with a piano accompaniment. It was the most beautiful, powerful music and I felt like Marianne was there bearing her testimony of the Savior through that piece. Marianne was our ward organist and very accomplished. I'm sure she use to be the accompanist for her siblings many a times as they performed that piece. I think of Marianne often and look forward to seeing her again.

My very bestest friend who I've known since I was 8, has also been diagnosis with thyroid cancer. She's had her surgery and just in the middle of her radiation treatment. She had to be in isolation for 7 days for taking her radiation pill. She probably have to have another surgery to remove more tumors that were found and were waiting her hear about how well the radiation worked. But between this and Marianne I just can't do anymore bad cancer news.  And throughout all these events I just keep thinking of how perfect the plan of salvation is and that God knows me and each of us and that my family can be together forever no matter when we might die and leave this earth. Like Marianne once told me "all I need is my faith".

Lots of Lucas

Lucas is almost 11 months old now. I can't believe how fast his first year has flown by. He's a real crawler now instead of just an army crawler. Still doesn't eat solid foods and is currently getting his top teeth. But he also is in that "I want to be entertained" stage and I don't have lots of entertaining time on my hands. He's happiest in the car and running errands. He's down to one long (3 1/2 to 4 hour) nap a day. I don't always have that chunk of time to give him and then he has to take two smaller naps but he's a much happier baby on the one nap schedule so I'm learning to make my schedule so he gets his long nap. His hair is curly. It's like Jacob's when he was a baby curly when wet and straight after a couple of hours. Life is getting a bit more challenging now that Lucas is older. I like the baby stage where you can take them anywhere and he was so content to sit. That stage is long past and he is a wiggle worm and never wants to sit still. His favorite activity is putting everything in his mouth especially if it's on the kitchen floor. I sweep that floor 5 times a day and he still finds stuff to stick in his mouth. He weighs just over 21 pounds and I can't wait until I can switch him to milk and not have to buy formula anymore. David was in Europe for a week and got home Wednesday. Being the only parent is exhausting not so much physically but emotionally. I can do 4 days but David's trip was 7. It was suppose to be 8 but he surprised me and came home a day earlier. Yippee! I did take all 4 kids to stake confernce by myself and I'm so grateful for my neighbor who sat behind and helped me with my kids. She had Matthew and I had Lucas and then we would switched. I wouldn't have made it the whole 2 hours without her.   

Halloween weekend

The Friday afternoon before Halloween was trick or treating at David's office. The boys love going and I seeing the people he works with too. This year is was super crowded and David even ran out of candy. Lucas wouldn't wear his bumble bee wings but I was really too surprised. Adam went as superman, Jacob as a clown (he loved getting his faced painted.) and Matthew went as a mad scientist. I had to take advantage of all that crazy hair. Saturday morning Jacob got to dress up again for a birthday party. On Halloween, the weather was great and everyone was out. I was a little sad I stayed at home with Lucas and handed out the candy. I wanted to be out in the streets with everyone else. But we had tons of trick or treaters. That's what happens when Utah finally has good weather to trick or treat in.

 The Saturday before Halloween David and I went to the RSL playoff game against the Seattle sounders. It was a great game and RSL won 3-0. They went on to win the playoff round and advance in the playoffs but then lost to the L.A. Galaxy. David has a friend at work that gave him these tickets. They were box seats and it was a great view and nice comfy padded leather seats. It was nice to eat dinner before hand inside our little room in the nice heat before going out to brave the weather. It was cold!

The Sunday before Halloween was the primary program. My boys did a great job with their speaking parts. Jacob even wrote his own part about his favorite Book of Mormon prophet. He chose King Benjamin.  But even more we loved watching them sing. Jacob knows every word and tries so hard to do everything perfectly. Adam sings so loud and puts all his energy into singing. We had lots of comments about our singers. David, Jacob and Adam along with 2 friends, and their dad, and another friend and his dad sang the 4th verse of Praise to the Man as part of the program. It was so powerful to see these little primary boys with their priesthood holding dads standing behind them. Everyone had on their white shirts and ties and the men had their suit jackets on and it was such a powerful picture let alone the beautiful words they were singing. I'm so grateful for my husband and what a great example he is for my boys. Grandma came to watch them too and we were grateful she was there.

The last of the canning

People ask me how I can food with so many little kids around. Well, I just put them to work. Adam and Matthew are champion tomato and peach peelers. The final count on salsa was 47 quarts. Then I thought that was probably a bit excessive! Last Saturday my sister was at my house and Jacob was telling her about all the vegetables we have in the freezer. He told her that his mom picks the vegetables from the garden and then chops them up and puts them in the freezer. Then he said "She's like a squirrel storing food for the winter." We had a good laugh over that!

Here's Matthew helping with the applesauce. This is the first year I've done applesauce and it is way easy as long as you have one of these Victoria strainer thingys. Thankfully my mom's friend let me borrow hers. Plus it makes pink applesauce and my kids even eat it. My sister in law gave me all the apples so that's some cheap homemade applesauce. Yummy!