Littles, again

I got a phone call that put me on a plane.  My daughter in Texas needed me.  After bravely surviving her husband's minor stroke, juggling girls, getting him home from the hospital, she still need support and help.  A stroke for a young 32 year old husband and father of 2 little girls can be a bit terrifying.  For B it resulted in some very real anxiety issues.  He ended up back in the hospital before I could even get there. My job was to watch my granddaughters, ease the household burdens and support where I could.

My sweet little girl left her husband in hospital, packed up her two little children and picked me up from the airport.  Come to find out she had a bit of stomach flu going on.  Part way home I took over driving and while stopped at a light, she was vomiting out the open door.  Boy did I feel needed and wanted :)

Brian came home from the hospital and they were so glad to have him there but he continued to struggle.  It is so hard to understand what someone else is going through.  We just wanted to help him get better but it required patience for all of us.  I think I was able to distract and entertain, cook and shop in ways that helped.  I was also able to keep up with my own school work and find a gathering to attend.

Valentine's Day was special as Emily did some sweet things like these hearts that listed things that she and Brian love about their girls.  She made sugar cookies with them, decorated their home, had a special dinner.  I loved being there for the fun times too.  I got to virtually celebrate Simeon's 16 birthday knowing that he had lots of friends and family at home celebrating with and watching over him.

We played at a really fun park once B was up to staying home alone and even got to go out for lunch.  All three of these girls loved being outside and enjoying a sunny day. We also got to inspect the progress on the home they are having built and looking forward to moving into next month.

This was my effort to do a selfie with E and E.  They are beautiful little girls and I was glad to get to know them and create some fun memories with them.  I was there from Tuesday until Sunday.  I was blessed with patience, wisdom and help beyond my own, and energy to keep up with all that was asked of me.  God is so good.  He blessed me in so many ways that made me equal to the challenge laid before me.

Emily and Brian were both a little nervous about being left without an extra adult to help out when times got hard.  I knew it was hard. I worried about them too. The decision to go home anyway was prayerfully made accompanied by tears, as well as faith that this cute little family was in the Lord's hands. God is faithful.

I got home in time for my previous engagement to watch Peter's three kids while he and Rachel got to go on a cruise.  The kids were at my house, parents had left but my family at home had made a delicious dinner and were just sitting down.  I got to spend the next 3 1/2 days as Granny to almost 1, almost 3 and almost 5 year old cuties.  Lucky for me Monday was a holiday and my teenagers helped out as I transitioned to my next granny opp.  

To keep things interesting

1. my refrigerator quit working. The part won't be here for at least a week.

2. faucet handle broke but Simeon fixed it

3. Milt left town for the week

4. the printer quit working as I try to get on top of school work and household paperwork.

5. computer started acting up

6. toilet has been leaking for a week

7. my patience continued

8. Q takes two 2-hour naps daily

9. bed time is 7:30

10. these kids are helpful, obedient, and cheerful

11. I got to read to them, color, learn about loaders, track hoes, and Tractor Ted, watch Lion King, take care of their dog and hear them pray.  

12. help with potty training while M lets me know that I should have a stool and she doesn't like my toilet seat and she will only use the 'girls' bathroom.

13. Forgot to take pictures.

I didn't know I could do it all. I now know that I didn't do it alone.  I had heavenly help.  God raised me up to meet the challenges and showed me that I could do and be more than I thought I could.

I took these three up to their other grandma's house and now its is up to me to get back to temple days, homework, being lead student tomorrow, rs presidency responsibilities, bringing order to my home and hopefully making some better food choices and replenishing the energy reserves that served me so very well.  I feel grateful and blessed for the support of my family and their help too.  My husband carried so much of the responsibilities at home when I made a sudden week long trip to Texas.  He is such a support to me and to our family. I love Milt. I love God. I love my family. I love my life. I love the atonement of Jesus Christ that enables me to do and be more of what He would have me be.

PEACE that passes understanding. Understanding that brings peace.

Peace, peace be still

Peace.

My word for the year.  I want peace in my life, my thoughts, my relationships, my world.  It is an amazing gift available to all of us.  As I focus on peace, I want to understand what peace looks like. How can I welcome peace into my life? How can I be a peacemaker?

I want peace that brings understanding and understanding that brings peace.  I am excited to learn, discover and share as I welcome peace into my every day.

I will be studying and watching for peace everywhere.

Today I felt peace in the Holy temple.  The blessings and promises that are shared in the initiatory are very comforting to me as I am concerned about Brian and Emily. He had a minor stroke and is in the hospital.  I find peace as I petition Heavenly Father for his protection, comfort and healing power. Peace in knowing that these two kids of mine love one another, they love God, they keep their covenants and as such there are promises that speak of health and protection that took new meaning as I participated in sacred ordinances and realized the many ways these blessings apply to this very concern to be able to bear burdens, have body parts function properly and be protected from the adversary.  Peace in that there are people in their ward that are reaching out and helping care for their two little girls and easing the burden of hospital and the unknown.  I am so grateful for good people who sacrifice for one another, help each other where they can and simply share God's love and faith that God is in the details. He is faithful.

Texas family time

We were able to organize a weekend get-away for all 4 of us to Dallas, TX. We flew there and stayed with Emily and Brian.

But before we left and after Simeon got over his stomach flu, we were able to get him ordained to the office of priest in the Aaronic priesthood.  It is a privilege and responsibility that he takes seriously.  We love celebrating his desire and worthiness so we invited all the family that could to come participate. He was ordained by his father and all these good men participated in the circle.  I love knowing that we are surrounded by men who honor and share their priesthood power - just as God designed it.

Then we left the next morning to travel to Texas.  We arrived in the early afternoon and headed straight to Emily's to see her cute family.  We got to visit and catch up (reacquaint with Ella and Evie) and then went to Dan and Steph's for dinner where we enjoyed some Texas BBQ and good visiting.  No pictures though.

Emily had prepared her home is such a kind way to be the queen of hospitality.  She had food prepped for quick delicious meals, had rearranged the bedrooms so that her family was in one and mine in the other. She had moved her own bed into our room so Dad and I could have the nice bed, and it was very nice.

The next day we headed off early to beat the traffic and visit Waco, home of Fixer Uppers Chip and Joanna Gains.  Milt also had a job to do there. He took off to work and we had breakfast at Magnolia Table. Good food and nicely decorated.

We then headed over to Magnolia store and Bakery.  It was so fun to experience the Silos and the atmosphere of come and stay and play and enjoy that they were able to bring to that area.

We got an early start also to try and stay ahead of a severe storm warning.  The weather was warm-ish and windy.  It felt great to us.

Of course we stopped in for cupcakes at the bakery.  They were delicious. Simeon and Debbie had watched the making of the bakery on the drive here and were impressed to see it in person.

We headed back home as the wind continued to gain force.  Before we got home the tornado sirens were going off.  Once we got home we enjoyed the safety of the house and balcony. Tracked the storm online and then settled in to play a new game Skull King that might be a new favorite

The lightning, thunder, and rain were the show for us. Luckily the tornado never quite made it.

But the next morning it was SNOWING in Texas.  We figure they did a little bit of everything for us.  By that afternoon it was blue skies but still a little cold for Texas.

We also got to go to the Ross Perot Museum.  It is a 4+ story natural history museum that was kid friendly and fun for everyone.  We actually only had 1.5 hours and would have enjoyed more time.  Emily's family ended up converting their tickets to a season pass.  They will have lots of fun.

Ella and Evie didn't even know to be scared

The museum was so fun and educational, inside and out.

 

We ate at Torchy's Tacos which was so very good. I got the trailer park hillbilly style, a favorite was the republican and all kinds of names that give no hint as to what is on them.  All were delicious. We checked out Buc-ee's gas station which was actually a destination that we spent some time at, enjoyed the jerk and the fudge and gawked at all the stuff with laughs in between.

Some favorites were visiting their ward for church, meeting some of their friends and also going to see their new home still under construction.  We miss them all and wish their family well.

I do wish we had taken more pictures of more of the memories we made.

Baby Girl!

That used to be what everyone wanted to hear.  What’s the baby?  We got a new baby girl in the family but we all knew she was at girl.  The part we didn’t know was when and how big.  Also this cute little family had not decided on her name.

They are such a great team.  They work well together and appreciate each other.

The tender joy they share after a long days labor was delicious.

 

This little (big) sweetheart is 20 inches long and 9 lb 7 oz.  Her big sister thinks the world of her.

Genevieve Shirlene!

Summer fun

Mr. O took me to Boston to see Wicked with my parents.  We flew in and then met up with Mom and Dad who drove down from Royalton, Vermont.  Loved the show. Well done.  Now I want to see Dear Evan Hansen.

 We then went up and stayed with them at Camp Joseph near Sharon, Vermont and visited the birthplace of Joseph Smith. We enjoyed meeting many of the missionaries serving there and seeing all the good things my parents get to do.

 While is was gone this sweet little baby Lucy finally arrived on this earth, July 16.  It was so hard to be very far away but now that I have held her and get to see her every few days, she and her mama are forgiven. I sure love her.

 This is at the Palmyra Pageant.  We enjoyed seeing it 2 nights and visiting the pageant president and many others that help make the magic happen.  Mr. O sure enjoyed talking president to president and sharing concerns, successes and experiences.

 Traveling with my sweet parents was a joy.  They are slowing down some and require a lot of patience with each other but their love and appreciation is strong and I especially enjoyed seeing them take care of each other.

 We finally made it home. It was so fun to visit Elise and her family. They are all so excited and grateful for baby Lucy.

 Paddleboarding out at Palisade, as well as swimming and eating good food attracted the whole family.

 Our current connections with ropes course counselors was so fun as we experienced facing fears, doing hard things, working together, and cheering each other on.

Isaac

Simeon and Debbie

Simeon

Ella and Debbie

 Boating and waterskiing are a family favorite that we are finally doing this summer as the boat that has been sitting and waiting for repairs for several years is finally dependable and fun.

 First birthday for Ella.  She is such a joy and her parents continue to thoroughly enjoy her.

 Granny time with Lucy and Madelyn.  We also had Sunday dinner as a family after stake conference.  We kept it simple and had spaghetti and meatballs.  Since its zucchini season, we even had zucchini noodles. They were delicious.

 That evening we had a special family night with Brother and Sister Schultz speaking to us about their experiences during WW2 in Germany.  Sister Schultz went through some amazing experiences, had her faith strengthened and testified that you really need to pray every day.  It makes all the difference.

 Sleeping outside in hammocks 3 deep!

Debbie and Simeon  (Isaac gets the top one)

 Jack turns 8!  We are so glad to see the fine boy that he is and are excited to share his special baptism day in a few weeks.