Dalarhast In My Windowsill: blended family photos

Showing posts with label blended family photos. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Relief Society Birthday Party

I wanted to blog about last night's Relief Society Birthday Party. But first, I have to show you this latest photo of the baby.

He is eighteen months old already.
This picture makes me smile deep in my soul. Motherhood is a most wonderful,
even a holy thing. It is not glamorous work but it is glorious work.
I cherish being a loved wife and mother so much more than
my academic degrees, any vacation I've been on
or wanted to go on or
any compliment I've ever received.
This. is. what. it's. all. about.

Well, the theme of the birthday party was "Wonder Women," and I got to be on the committee to do the decorating, planning, set up and clean up. We had posters that said "Shazam," "Kapow," "Bang," "Zap," "Boom," "Pow," etc., and on the centerpieces, similar little flags with the same sayings.

We cooked and decorated extra large sugar cookies with a W for WonderWomen.
Then we put each one in a sack and stapled an inspiring quote from a prophet to it. So cute.
There were even special gluten-free cookies there for those who can't eat wheat.

There were empowering and uplifting quotes about women from latter-day prophets and relief society leaders. There was a great video that was set to the tune of the 70's "Wonder Woman" show, that featured us-- the ladies in the neighborhood, doing what we do. Cooking, Transporting, Folding, Reading, Guiding, Canning, Serving, Playing, Working, etc.

My friend had gone around from house to house, taking photos of us doing what we do. It was really fun and inspiring. And hilarious-- because the first segment featured my friend getting out of bed, walking to the bathroom, and spinning in the mirror, turning into wonder woman and leaping into a closet. So funny.

At the end, they showed stories on the screen, all submitted by us, about "wonder women" in our own lives. I had to bite my lip not to cry. They were really touching. The ones I submitted really got to me because they were from my own heart and life. I will put the stories after a few more photos that i can't resist sharing.

Nine year old and 18 month old

Beautiful fourteen year old chef

AJ making his after school snack.

OK-- back to the story. So, this week, I really needed that Relief Society positive input. Last night was great. I loved it. Loved the message, love the sisters --my neighbors and friends-- of the ward.

When I look at how much I imagine accomplishing each day and compare it to what actually happens, I get discouraged. But when I look at the good, and listen to the words of the prophets saying we are doing God's work; we are doing wonderfully well; we are sustaining lives and building kingdoms of goodness, I believe it. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

Here are the stories that I submitted for the Relief Society event. They touch my heart! :

1. One of the wonderwomen in my life is _______. She is my visiting teacher, and she always goes out of her way to care and to help and to offer help. I remember one day when I had the stomach flu on top of being pregnant, and she called. I told her that there was nothing she could do, but thanked her for her help and got off the phone. She showed up anyway, with popsicles --that ended up really being something I could actually keep down. Another time, when we were remodeling and needed some padding for a hole under the carpet, she found some padding and brought it over. It might seem a small thing but we needed it and she did it. When our son went on his mission, she came over with a pot of soup for our farewell party. Another time, she asked me to edit some stories she had written, which I did, and I told her I would absolutely not accept any payment because it's something I love to do, yet she went and got me an overly generous gift card that she would not let me not accept. During visits, I remember her telling me some stories from her life that hit me at a time when I needed to hear them, and they just made me cry. She has a knack for listening to the spirit and knowing what to say to inspire another person. I can not even remember all the things she has said or done for me, but it's her testimony and her attitude more than anything, of just always sincerely caring and truly being willing to do anything to be helpful, that means so much to me. She is awesome. --submitted by me.

2. The summer that I got divorced I moved into a ward where everyone lived in apartments and were mostly newlyweds. I did not know if I would fit in. My biggest worry was the effect of my divorce on my children. One day a woman I barely knew gave me an envelope in relief society. In it was a long, typed letter. She wrote her parents divorced when she was a child and that even though there had been a big contrast between how life went at her mother's and how life went at her father's house, that contrast didn't harm her; in fact, it helped build her testimony. This woman wrote that Heavenly Father took up the slack in her situation and that I should not be afraid for my children. This letter was an answer to my prayers that felt as if it came straight from the Lord. --submitted by me.

3. There is a sister in our ward who called me one day and said she'd been planning to take some toys and winter clothes to he thrift store to donate, but she felt prompted to call me and ask if I'd like to have them,. She could not have known what it meant to me because it was right before Christmas and money was tight and we'd decided not to get gifts for our bby, since the older kids really were the only ones who could understand and appreciate gifts. But I had been feeling secretly a little sad about it.

This beautiful sister showed up on my doorstep with many so beautiful handmedown toys, and also a brand new lego set for an older child and a brand new jacket, which I feel sure she purchased for us, although she said they were extras, and then gave me money in an envelope besides. I just cried and cried because I knew she was an angel on earth sent as a tender mercy of the lord. -submitted by me.

We also watched a clip from Jeffrey R. Holland about motherhood as an eternal partnership with God: http://youtu.be/WbYLKVgwztY

Wonder Women Cookies from our 2012 ward Relief Society Birthday Dinner

Friday, January 06, 2012

January 2012 Update

Hi! I have not blogged here for many months, because--

I got a paid job blogging for a health insurance company.
I have been taking care of so many people, including the addition of my greatly loved but too rarely seen step-children, over the holidays
I have been trying to get on top of laundry, exercise, sweeping, etc. more and more (two steps forward, three steps back)
And so much happened.

A tragedy struck my stepson. A.R.'s mother passed away very suddenly, leaving him motherless at age 18-almost-19. It was terrible. He was in the middle of his very first semester of college, at BYU. The Bishop asked him what he would do. A.R. still wanted to go on his mission. His mother had gotten him ready, had helped him get his wisdom teeth taken out, had helped him submit his paperwork for the mission, had encouraged him every step of the way, and then she died before he even received his mission call. It was very sad. But it's been three months. He is now in the missionary training center, and we are so very proud of him and love him so much. We write him lots of letters.
C.E. is still taking A.P. Geography, a college level class, as a ninth grader, plus all these other hard classes, and swim team, and young women's group at church, and is almost never home. I actually miss her, and rarely get to spend any time except at the dinner table, with her.
A.J. is on the basketball team now, and even though I forced him to do it, he now says he thinks it's fun (a week later!)
The baby is hilarious and 16 months old now. Some of his funniest moments of the week include putting margarine to his ear like a telephone while grocery shopping (and I got my own to talk back); crying and hiding in the towel closet when his feelings got hurt over not being allowed to play with the toilet plunger; learning that he can take our hands, or our thumbs, and lead us to food, water, the bathtub, a book, or whatever he wants. He is so adorable and cute that there are no words for it. He's the clump of marzipan that we all want to gobble up.
S.E. was here for two weeks, over Christmas. She is a wonderful stepdaughter and we love her soo much. When I think of how it was when DH and I first got married four years ago, and how the love between stepsiblings and stepparents was not really there at first, and compare it to now, it's amazing. There is a lot of love and it grows and grows. Real love.

Now I'm going to post some pictures, because they speak a prettier language than words.