FB vs Blogger

I love to write.  I love to blog stories about my family.  I also enjoy the interaction I have found on Facebook with friends both old and new from all over the country (and world).  For a while I was trying to maintain both FB and Blogger, but for the last 6 months clearly FB has won.  Let's see what I can do to change that this summer.

Here is a quick family update for anyone who is curious:

Matthew is almost three, as adorable as ever but so strong willed that all of the patience I didn't learn with my oldest two is now being tested in spades.  He still loves his Mickey Mouse but is branching out to Doc McStuffins and Little Einsteins. His favorite shirt to wear is his Phillies shirt, Halladay, of course!  He loves to read and to "ride" his bike - really it is a bigwheel and his feet don't reach the pedals yet so he shuffles his feet to move it around.  He loves to swim (have me hold him up in the water while he kicks his legs and moves his arms), and he LOVES any time with his big brothers and daddy.  He will play bey blades and legos with the big boys for hours just to be a part of the action.  Oh and he is obsessed with Mario Karts on the wii and has gotten to the point where he can almost finish a race.  He also tells everyone he talks to that he is going to be Yoshi on a bike.  (Not something for me to be proud of - too much video game time in the house in general - but that will change this summer.  Honestly!)

James, now seven, just finished first grade.  He had the sweetest teacher and a very friendly but mellow class.  I know, when was the last time you heard a first grade class described as mellow?  I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen it myself!  His favorite food in the world is strawberries and he still loves the color red- as evidence by most of his wardrobe.  James loves playing bey blades, legos, Skylanders on the XBox and Mario Kart on the wii (He is Matthew's trainer).  He is taking swimming lessons for the first time ever this summer (with wax earplugs and a swim cap to protect the tubes in his ears- yes, set #3) and is starting to get a little comfortable in the water.  I can't wait to see how he does at the end of the season!  James is my shy, timid boy.  It has been fun to see him break out of that a lot this year at school.  He won an award for a story he wrote which was included in the school portfolio at the end of the year.  He loves to read and is proud that he is finally learning how to do some of the things his big brother, Samuel, knows how to do.  Next up on the list:  piano lessons.

Samuel, my grown up nine year old, just finished third grade.  He has hit that age where he definitely isn't a little kid anymore but he isn't a preteen either.  It is an interesting stage of limbo.  Sam likes to be given responsibility and will help with his little brothers (most of the time) when asked, but he also likes to tease them and push their buttons and basically do all of the normal big brother stuff.  He is so smart and has a very logical, methodical mind- just like his dad.  He did great in school this year and really enjoyed his class.  He had an amazing teacher this year too.  I actually begged her to move up to fourth grade next year so I know Sam will have someone wonderful again.  Samuel LOVES legos.  He actually told me that he didn't want to play soccer this spring because he wanted to stay home and play legos.  Obviously, that didn't fly with me, but I thought it was cute.  Samuel just got his Wolf badge in cub scouts and is continuing to do a very good job with piano.  This weekend Samuel went with John to a friend's beach house, he was in heaven because the one thing in the world Sam loves more than legos is time with daddy!

John is continuing on as a workaholic. (I'm only partially joking!)  He is still working full time at the office, as well as rounding at three different nursing homes- one of which appointed him as their new medical director, and serving as stake clerk at church.  He still makes time for us- he coached the boys' soccer teams this spring, and for himself- he is playing softball on the LDS team in a local church league (yes, the same team he has been playing on since Tom Riley got him started).  In his free time he takes care of the yard and fixes stuff around the house and drags us out for bike rides or to play tennis.  Maybe busy is an understatement.  Currently he is most looking forward to the family reunion we are having with my family this summer- in Yellowstone.  Yes, he does have the entire week scheduled to the minute!

As for me, I have mostly been kept busy with the boys and running them to school, piano, soccer, scouts, swim lessons, play groups, swimming lessons, etc. -just like all of my mommy friends out there.  I have also been working on ideas for redecorating the house.  They are slow moving plans- as time and money allow- but I am quite thrilled with the changes that are beginning to occur. In about 10 years I should have everything just how I want it.  I am still quilting a little, doing book club and I am also serving in the Relief Society presidency at church with some really great women.  Enough to keep my busy for now.

It has been a great and eventful year.  I am hoping to get back to regular blogging but life is unpredictable and crazy so how much of it gets blogged vs updated on Fb... well, we'll see!

New Piano

I have wanted a piano since John and I bought our first house in 2001. To me, a house doesn't really feel like a home without that tangible representation of music, something the whole family can share and enjoy. For a while we had an old player piano that I got for free from a church. It was an enormous upright with a solid metal frame, the player had been removed so it sounded kind of hollow and the stain had cracked and was peeling off in spots. It was a monstrosity that consumed our entire living room. At John's insistence we got rid of it before we moved to our current home. My sister-in-law gave me an older digital keyboard to use in place of it until we could find another real piano. Then last year Samuel started piano lessons and my desire for a piano became an actual family need. John and I put a lot of thought and research into our piano shopping. It took a year but finally, last month, on Black Friday - the day of wonderful sales, we bought a piano... The wrong piano. We were debating between two pianos, an upper tier Yamaha upright with a Queen Anne cabinet and a mahogany Essex upright. Essex is a newer brand, 10-15 yrs old, designed by Steinway and Sons. John and I both really liked the Essex piano but it was quite a bit more money and I could not justify the extra expense so we decided on the Yamaha. It was a nice, sturdy piano and would fit well in our home and be great for the kids to learn on. But as we drove away from the store instead of experiencing the expected elation, I felt sick. John and I talked it over and when he realized that I made the decision on what was more practical, not what I loved, he insisted we go back and get the Essex upright. I called my mom and sisters for some impartial-ish advice on the subject and they all agreed with John. So the next day, John and I took the kids with us to go and purchase our new Essex. Samuel even brought along his music books to test it out. He was almost as excited as me. The piano salesman had the good grace not to laugh out loud at my indecision. Last week, on Thursday, the piano arrived and we have not stopped playing it since. Samuel even pulled out his beginning piano books and started teaching James the basics! And every time I walk past the piano I grin and giggle a little because it makes me all sorts of goofy happy. We have a piano! Picture coming soon!

Hallelujah

Our church does Handel's Messiah as a sing along every year.  The last two years I was in charge of coordinating the rehearsals, decorations, food, choir and orchestra and everything else in between.  This year it was someone else's job. (Hooray!)  And although I had every intention of participating in the choir just for the fun of it, I never really made it to the rehearsals.  Last week I was talking to my friend, Liz, who is running the show this year and she asked me to come and bolster the alto section.  So with one rehearsal under my belt, instead of the usual six, I jumped up there and sang tonight.  I have had a cold for three weeks and left my husband home with three somewhat grumpy kids. 
As I was driving to the church I kept thinking, "I SO don't want to do this.  Maybe I should just turn around and go home."  But I didn't.  I arrived at church, warmed up with the choir, said a prayer that I wouldn't mess everyone up too much and sang. 
The soloists did a wonderful job and the orchestra, despite a few gaffes, had some really talented players and a great sound.  Partway through I found myself thinking, "Hey, this isn't so bad, maybe it is a good thing I came."  And then it happened.  Somewhere in the middle of the last song, The Hallelujah Chorus, it hit me- that feeling that makes the whole thing worthwhile.  This is Christmas.   This music, the feeling that threatens to rise up and choke me with tears- this is the reason that we sing this music. 
Liz gave us a little pep talk before we started and what she said is the perfect description for how I felt in the middle of that chorus.  She said, "When I think about the birth of our Savior and about the choirs of angels proclaiming His birth, this is the music I hear."  Exactly.  Or, really, Hallelujah!

Hello?

Yes, I am still alive.  The summer is over, we are home from our various vacations- TBB (to be blogged)- and the big kids are back in school.  I have just been struggling to figure out this new version of our usual routine and have not yet found the way to keep everything in balance.  For example:  I somehow managed to lock my keys and  my two year old in my van last week.  Luckily it was a cool day, only lightly drizzling and I was about five minutes from John's office.  Needless to say, I am not quite ready to blog just yet.  HOWEVER, our family room (my summer project (are you catching the theme here?)) is now patched, primed and ready to be painted.  Once I get that massive project done I will use some of my precious free time (aka painting time, aka Matthew's naptime) to write some genius blog posts... or at least some entertaining ones... or, well, some.  Hope all else is well in the blogosphere!

Groundbreaking!

Finally!  After years of anticipation we officially broke ground for the Philadelphia Temple on Saturday.  Elder Henry B Eyring from the first presidency of the church presided over the event.  President Jay E Jensen, presidency of the 70, was there too.  Also in attendance the mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, and several other city officials and dignitaries as well as managers of surrounding properties.  It was quite the event! 
A few hundred people gathered at 17th and Vine, an old parking lot that had been set up with a stage and rows of chairs.  In front of the stage was a small carpeted area with two racks of shovels and in front of that was a narrow strip of dirt where the concrete had been removed and a small pile of dirt left in it's place.  The groundbreaking was invitation only but was broadcast to all of the chapels in the area. 

Here's the rundown of the program.  I hope I get it all straight.  I was so excited and jittery (and freezing) that I might not have it all right.
Opening song:  "High on the Mountaintop"
Vai Sikahema, a counselor in the Cherry Hill, NJ stake presidency, spoke about his first journey to the temple with his parents and siblings when he was 5.  It took three days to get to the New Zealand Temple and they traveled by boat, bus and plane.  It was a touching account as was his testimony of the impact the temple has been on his life, the lives of his siblings and of their children. 
Elder Smith spoke next about important dates in Philadelphia (and PA in general) history and in Mormon history and events that combined the two.
Elder Walker (executive director of the temple department) spoke about the steps taken to secure the building site of the temple and of the cooperation and help from the mayor and other city officials.  He also told us that Elder Eyring is from Princeton, NJ and how he had grown up loving the Philadelphia area.
The choir sang "How Firm a Foundation"
President Jay E Jensen spoke about the merchant who found the most beautiful pearl and wanted to display it so others could see.  He commissioned a man to build a beautiful wooden box for it.  But when his friends saw it they complimented the box more than the pearl.  Pres. Jensen said that the temple is like the box.  It will be beautiful and it is right to admire it.  However, what is inside the temple is infinitely more valuable.
Finally Elder Eyring gave a few remarks (I'll see if I can figure out how to put my recording of it on blogger) and then dedicated the ground for the building of the temple in a special prayer.  When he finished the sun came out from behind a cloud and shone right down on the parking lot that was now something infinitely more special.
The choir closed with: "I Know that my Redeemer Lived"
I know our church music is not the most exciting- especially to those who are used to gospel music.  But our music carries the spirit and it was interesting to see how the spirit reached those in the audience who are not members of the church.  For example, Mayor Nutter looked bored at the beginning of the song but was completely engaged by the end.  Behold the power of music.  =)
After the closing prayer, Elder Eyring, Pres Jensen and Elder Smith picked up a few of the golden (I know, silly) shovels and officially turned over the dirt, breaking ground symbolically. for the new temple.  Then they invited the mayor and other city officials and neighboring property managers to come up and grab a shovel and turn over some dirt.  Next they invited the six stake presidents from the new temple district to take a turn.  Once that happened they opened the invitation to all in attendance to take turns breaking ground for our new temple.  It was exciting and exhilarating and so, so, so wonderful!  I felt lucky to be there (singing in the choir) but it would have been even better if John could have been there too along with all of our friends who have worked and prayed daily to make this a possibility.
But look at a few friends who did make it:

Doesn't the temple look beautiful?

For more information you can go to www.lds.org/temples

Fond Farewell

There once was a bookstore called Border's
Which was Heaven on Earth to book horders.
Sad to say they went bankrupt one day.
Amazon now receives all our orders.

Goodbye Border's!  We will miss you!!

9/11 Remembered

Where were you on 9/11?  How many times have you been asked this question?  I was on my way to class at Temple University.  As I got off the subway I saw people gathered around food trucks with TVs showing pictures of the Pentagon burning.  The volume was turned down and I didn't stop to ask so I had no idea that there was anything going on other than an accident in DC.  When I arrived at class everyone was chatty and the professor had a hard time getting our attention.  When we finally quieted down, he told those of us who didn't know about what had happened in New York and then excused us to go home and be with friends and family.  This class had over 100 people in it and I didn't know very many of them.  But one girl started crying and someone said she was from NYC. 
I began my subway ride home a little nervously.  If they had attacked New York and DC, was Philadelphia next?  We are right in the middle of the other two.  When I was just about to get off the train my cell phone rang.  It was my sister, Keri, calling to make sure that we were OK and that we knew what was going on.  I got home in time to hug my husband extra tight before he had to go to work and in time to watch the first tower fall.  Instead of a day of classes, I sat glued to the news watching the images over and over and over again.
I didn't lose anyone on that day but I have been deeply affected by it nonetheless.  I think we all have.  I remember in college I did a report on JFK's assassination.  I had to interview two people who had been alive at that time and ask how it had affected them.  I didn't get why it was such a big deal.  I thought the conspiracy aspect was far more interesting and relevant than how people felt.  What I didn't understand at that time was how completely a single, shared, tragic experience like the Kennedy Assassination or 9/11 can impact all of us.  In many ways we now measure our lives by pre 9/11 and post 9/11.  Our national imaginary bubble of protection is gone.  My personal imaginary bubble of safety and security went with it.   But I love how the country, and the world, drew together in support of each other.  I just wish it would have lasted longer than it did.  I wish that brotherly love and support wasn't just something we dusted off for one day each September. 
My heart goes out to the families and friends who are still mourning the loss of a loved one on that tragic day.  I am eternally grateful for the first responders who sacrificed themselves willingly to save others so they could return to their families and have a second chance to really live.  And I am grateful every day for the soldiers across the world who watch over us and fight daily to protect us from the recurrence of such an indescribably horrible event.
Our church put out this very moving account of a 9/11 survivor and how it inspired him to really look at what was important in his life.  I suggest you take the time to watch it.
Some great literature I have read that covers 9/11:















A fictional story about a boy who lost his Father on 9/11.















From the Story Corps project.  It is transcriptions from all sorts of people and includes a story from a survivor and a story of someone who lost his fiancee that day.