Traditions

One of my favorite holiday traditions is that every year my family cuts down Christmas trees from the property surrounding our cabin (we know the property owners:). It's so nice to have a fresh, nice smelling tree in my house! So that I don't feel guilty misleading you all, though, I must admit that I stayed behind in the cabin this year while several of the others traipsed around on the mountain. (I'm pregnant, right?) Here are a couple shots from this year's journey:

What is asked of us...

Today I read Elder M. Russell Ballard's talk from last month's general conference. I thought that these thoughts were worth remembering:

The Lord isn’t asking us to load up a handcart; He’s asking us to fortify our faith. He isn’t asking us to walk across a continent; He’s asking us to walk across the street to visit our neighbor. He isn’t asking us to give all of our worldly possessions to build a temple; He’s asking us to give of our means and our time despite the pressures of modern living to continue to build temples and then to attend regularly the temples already built. He isn’t asking us to die a martyr’s death; He’s asking us to live a disciple’s life.

The Big Game

Marinda is a Cougar fan. Mike is a Ute. The big question is what will Abby turn out to be?

Tonight, he taught her during the game to call out "B-Y-Utes". I thought that was fairly diplomatic.

I was quite disappointed by the outcome of the game, but in all fairness, it'll be nice to have a hometown team in a BCS bowl again.

Little Daredevil

Abby has always been daring. She loves to climb. Lately, she'll see something up high she wants and push the closest stool or chair over (that usually doesn't get her much closer) and then climb on the next most accessible shelf or counter.

In this picture she was jumping off the stairs. Not too high, I know, but it was very cute. She'd say "Ready, go!" and then kind of throw herself off the stairs.

Mike also taught her to do somersaults. She learned after one demonstration! What a smart girl.

What was really fun was when she decided to combine the two and throw herself off the stairs and do a somersault at the same time. We might need to discourage that one!

Happy Veteran's and Birthdays!

Happy birthday yesterday to my mother-in-law! We hope it was a great day!
Yesterday was also Veteran's Day and my grandpa was honored at a ceremony, along with 12 other veterans, at the U. This is the nice write up that they read at the ceremony and here is a story that a local NPR station did on my grandpa and dad. Here is a picture of the two of them. It was fun to see my dad in his Air Force dress blues.

We made a snowman yesterday

Then added a baby snow robber?!?

And this is all that is left of them today!

I am so glad we live in a country where there is a way to express our opinions and participate in the law making process.
I appreciate that many of us share similar opinions and that many of us will disagree. That is OK. It is good to look at the world through different eyes on occasion and try to see someone else's viewpoint.
We are so blessed to be able to vote as a way to express opinions.
I am deeply saddened when that right of a people or an organization are protested and, in effect, denied.
My church and fellow church members have every right to express their views on moral positions.
They should be treated with respect by those whose views on those moral issues differ.

Many of you know that the LDS Church has been targeted by opponents of Proposition 8 for their involvement in its passage. It seems very unfair to me that they are being targeted this way. Here is the church's statement with regard to the opposition's protests.

Incidentally, I still feel strongly that our country has spoken with regards to our elected officials and now we pray for them and do everything in our power to help us all succeed!

Elections

So, I will throw in my two cents on the election results. Most of the candidates I voted for won, but a few key candidates didn't.

It's kind of weird though because in the past I have been very passionate about election results--getting very worked up about results that I "approved" or "disapproved" of, but tonight I'm not (except for the individual who beat my dad in a race a few years ago and it looks like he might lose his seat tonight--I'm feeling a bit smug about that).

My main thoughts:

I need to just pray for my leaders--old and new, regardless of party, and try to make my corner of the world a tiny bit better. We live in a great country and I am proud to be an American. I know that with our prayers and our efforts we can accomplish much.

Right now that is how I feel, but maybe tomorrow morning I'll wake up feeling differently--more upset about the upsets or giddy about the wins. We'll see.

By the way, Mike and I showed up at the polls at 6:55 this morning (woke the baby up to beat the rush). There was a pretty good line when we arrived, but by the time we left at 7:20ish the line was almost gone. Strange...I heard that the lines were quite short most of the day...nothing like the early voting lines (so I hear).

That's our girl

Pumpkin Day

A free giveaway...

My friend Jen makes very cute bags, bows, headbands, scripture covers, capes and more! (I really want to get a headband for Abby:) You should all visit her website for a chance for a free giveaway and to see her great stuff.
(I've seen a ton of it in person and it is darling!)

Happy Birthday, Abby!

Today is the real birthday.

Abby is 2!

Here are 10 things about Abby that I think are great:

1. Abby is a talker-and-a-half. Especially in the car, she can talk like no other and we love hearing her cute voice.

2. Abby has a ton of energy. She wears me out and doesn't sit on our laps for long but I love her exuberance and busy-ness.

3. She is very friendly. I am glad that she is social and enjoys talking to and meeting new people.

4. Abby loves to read. We spend lots of time with books and a common phrase is, "I need to read!"

5. Abby is quite a happy kid. We all have sad moments, but I am grateful that we can generally count on a big smile from our girl.

6. We think that she is very cute.

7. Abby likes reading the scriptures. She loves finding pictures of Jesus and Alma (her favorite Book of Mormon character) in her story book. (She also has a very exuberant "Amen" at the end of prayers!)

8. She is very fashion conscious. Sometimes it can be pretty hard to convince her to wear pants instead of dresses. I always love it when she tells me she likes my clothes and then proceeds to pick out shoes to match them.

9. She is quite the smarty pants. She counts to 4, knows several shapes and colors and is learning letters. I also laugh as we drive through the neighborhood and she tells me who lives in which house.

10. We love that she is ours forever!

Here are a few pictures of our day today (Wheeler Farm--I think I could just eat that little piglet up--not literally, cake, presents plus a visit to grandma):

(That is a smile.)

News

Most of you already know our little “situation” of late. For those of you who don’t…here it is…

Mike’s job has been great! He’s worked with great people and had fun being involved with a small startup pharmaceutical company. He got his hands into many different projects. One of his main interests for his career is the design and construction of pharmaceutical facilities. He certainly wanted to help his company with a large facility, but not knowing when that would happen, he’s been looking for a new job for some time now. He really picked up the pace a month or two ago.

Then…a few setbacks hit the company (pretty much all unrelated, but all at the same time—not good) and they needed to do layoffs! Last Wednesday 70% of the company was laid off. Huge! It was really sad and we felt bad for all involved. Unfortunately, we are unemployed. Fortunately, we had already started the process of finding a new job. We consider ourselves very blessed to have been prepared in this way.

So now Mike is searching full time. We have some excellent leads and prospects. Unfortunately, none so far are in Utah (as anticipated). We expect to be moving within the next few months:(. We’ll miss home here, but look forward to new opportunities and adventures!

A couple thoughts:

• If you know anyone who might want to buy our house (with the plan that we’ll live here until we leave…within reason), have them give us a call.
  
• We have the chance to renew our AWESOME University of Utah gymnastics season tickets before Oct. 31. If you want them, let us know (otherwise we’ll just let them go). It will cost $65 for the two. There are six meets (January through March) and the seats are very good. I will miss them:(

An early birthday party

Abby's birthday is October 27th.

We had a little party yesterday at Jungle Jim's Playland. I question whether or not she really is my child because she seemed to enjoy the rides much more than I would've as a kid. It was great to see her having so much fun!

Here she is on the train with Isaac...

...and on the swing she almost tried to climb out of.

These are all the kids who celebrated with us.

After Jungle Jim's, we came home, ate pizza, opened presents...

...and we didn't forget the balloons (a highlight of the day--and today, too). Look up.

Then we ate yummy cupcakes.

And here is the birthday outfit she wore to church today.

More T-Ball

I included this picture because I thought it was so cute of Mike and Abby. It was taken after the collage pictures were taken and posted.

Fall T-Ball

Fun, inside and free

Last Friday Abby and I went downtown. We didn't have any specific plans other than I needed to make a quick stop at the FH Library. Next door is the Church History Museum. It was cold outside and so indoors was appealing. I am sure that many of you have already discovered the museum and I certainly had pre-kid, but they had a fun little exhibit just for kids entitled I am a Child of God that Abby really enjoyed. She played with baby dolls, gave them bottles and changed their "nammies" (jammies) in a mock hospital nursery. She built temples with blocks (for not very long) and really liked coloring stained glass windows. They also had a little reading area, a few places to watch videos, other building things and a wall where you remove wooden pieces to reveal scripture stories. We stayed for 45 minutes or so which isn't very long, but was perfect for her. (She would've stayed longer.)

We also added to "fun and free" by parking on the street a few blocks away and taking the train (within the free fare zone:) to the library/museum (much easier than trying to park by Temple Square).

Usborne Books

The book show was fun. So many fun and varied books to choose from. Really I'd like to have them all! Anyway, if anyone (in state, out of state or somewhere in between) wants to order a book online, you have through this weekend to do it! Just go to this website. Several of us made a nice dent in our Christmas shopping:)

Catch up

5 days without internet is good for me...

Here are a few little updates from us.

Little Vacation

This past week/weekend, we took a little trip down south. We camped two nights at Bryce National Park...

...and drove through Zion National Park...

...before heading to Mike's parents place in St. George. Several of my family were also in St. George where my brother ran (super fast) the St. George marathon on Saturday morning. We had a great time visiting with both families and watching conference. Some of us girls went to Tuacahn to see Les Miserables (oh, I love that show--it rained a bit, but I still love that show) while the guys took all the kids to Priesthood!

A couple memorable things:

• Mike got 5 stitches in his hand 3 hours before we were supposed to leave for using scissors inappropriately at work:)
• Abby likes make believe--she turned a piece of concrete in the campground into a horsey and refused to eat the two cinnamon bears she was playing with in the car
• Abby is talking in complete sentences! It is so fun and an exciting part of her development (most of the sentences start, "I need..." or "I want..." :) It is very cute
• I really like Pollo Loco
  

General Conference

We spent conference weekend in St. George at Mike's parents' new place (lovely home). It was a great weekend and here are some thoughts. I only have notes from the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning sessions.

Laugh in the face of adversity, maintain an eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, always trust in our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. --Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

During our morning prayers, reflect on our struggles, express remorse and plead for strength. During the day, keep a prayer in our hearts to overcome the struggles we face. Then, in our evening prayers, report back, express gratitude for strength and repent. --Elder David A. Bednar

Say gratitude-only prayers on occasion and pray for others sincerely and with intent. --Elder David A. Bednar

Seek and qualify for unity with those around us (in various settings) and always be aware of how we talk about others. --President Henry B. Eyring

Responses of silence, meekness and forgiveness take Christian courage. --Elder Robert D. Hales

Be humble enough to ask, "Is it I?" as the apostles did of Jesus in the face of contentions or conflict. --Elder Robert D. Hales

The temple is the reason we do all things. --Sister Elaine B. Dalton

Never let a problem to be solved be more important than a person to be loved. --President Thomas S. Monson

Usborne Books

I am hosting an Usborne Books show at my house on Thursday (10/9) at 7 PM. These are really fun kids books and are reasonably priced. If you'd like to come, I'd love to have you. (Let me know for planning purposes.) It's a good time to think of Christmas presents for your kiddos! (Abby loves the Usborne books she has!)

Cool tool

I have always wanted to convert my blog into a pdf so that I could print it out and save a paper copy...just in case. Here is a tool that does just that! I just had to tell them the url address of my blog and the dates I wanted to include, give them $1.99, and voila--I now have a pdf file of my blog. (I just did 2007 and at the end of the year I'll do it again for 2008.)

I thought you may be interested.

Relief Society

Tonight I attended the General Relief Society meeting in the Conference Center with some lovely ladies from my ward. (I carpooled with Bonny and Arlene and saw several others there.)

I am grateful that a loving Father in Heaven will allow an imperfect daughter to feel so uplifted by messages intended to strengthen, inspire and encourage. Isn't it amazing that despite our faults and weaknesses we are still loved enough (immeasurably) to be able to experience the feelings of the Spirit, listen to prophets of God and take counsel from leaders who care about our welfare?

Some thoughts:

• The purpose of Relief Society is to organize, teach and inspire daughters of God to prepare for eternal life
• Our RS sisters take care of us--most importantly as spiritual mentors
• We must seek revelation for our callings
• I live in Utah--6, soon 8, temples within an hour--nothing like the sacrifices made by so many faithful Saints across the world
• Serve and love our sisters
• We are spirit daughters of the most creative Being the in the universe--we can create beautiful lives, things, memories and relationships (i.e. we can't discount our talents)
• The number of prayers we say is important, but the number of prayers we are instrumental in answering will bring the greatest joy
  

Abby takes her chore to clean pinecones out of the driveway very seriously

I thought this was lots of fun...

You can make one, too, at wordle.net. I got the idea from cjane:)

Oh, and if you haven't read my last post (which is next in this list), it is my most exciting news of late...

I have fallen in love with another boy...

And Mike is OK with it. This little half-pounder will make his grand entrance into the world in February (as a much larger, but still little, guy) and I can hardly wait!

Discovery Gateway

We are a bit behind the times. We just barely experienced our first outing to the Discovery Gateway last week. (I was very skeptical of paying ~$9 for a 1-year-old to get in, but we found a way to get a free pass for the family--yeah. Let me know and I can clue you in on how to get one:) We had a great time and there were some really fun activities for Abby.

Here is a link to a few pictures and videos (click on the picture):

From 06 Discovery Gateway

♪ Abby's repertoire ♫

Abby is becoming quite the singer. Here are a couple of her favorites:

• "Up above" - This is her version of Twinkle, Twinkle. She will sing lots of fairly unrecognizable words then throw in a few "up aboves". I love it! We have a Twinkle book that is definitely a favorite.
• "Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, etc." - Mike and I thought she was singing the Hello Primary song in nursery, but apparently they are not so...either we have a composer in the works or she has picked up on the Hello song the couple times Mike or I has sung it to her.

At bedtime, we have started asking her what she'd like us to sing to her. These are, hands down, the winners:

• "Sun" - With her hands clenched, she says "sun" and is ready for "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam. (Her hands are clenched so that she can open and close them on "Sunbeam!")
• "Chi God" - In Family Home Evening last week we sang lines from "I am a Child of God" several times and she loves it. I can't imagine a song and a message I'd rather she love.
  

Thoughts about temples and missing Mike

Life is good. I went to the temple tonight for Stake Temple Night and it was great. We had a meeting as a stake before going on the temple session and I was excited to come home and write in my journal about what I can do to make the temple more meaningful in my life. It was a great meeting and I LOVE having a temple so close. It is truly a refuge.

Unfortunately, Mike couldn't come with because he is in Minneapolis. I hate it when he is gone, but this will be a quick trip. He'll be back on Thursday afternoon and he only left today. I can handle that, I think. Abby notices when he's gone, for sure. Tonight as I was making her dinner before leaving for the temple, she kept saying, "Daddy, soon, daddy, soon." I think that when I am usually making dinner I tell her that daddy will be home soon. Tonight I had to explain otherwise. I think that Mike missed her even more when I told him that little anecdote.

More Abby-isms

We drove past the Murray Cemetery the other day, (Hope is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery) and Abby called out "Hope!" when she saw all the headstones. Cute...

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Disclaimer: Neither Abby or I consider myself political analysts...

The other day during a lapse in our breakfast conversation, I started the following conversation with my one-year-old:

Marinda: So what do you think about this year's presidential election?
Abby: [very blank stare with her mouth full]
Marinda: So do you think McCain or Obama will win?
Abby: [with mouth very full] B-Cain [back to eating]

So there you have it...2 months early?!?!

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Outside the other day, Abby called out "laun-lee, laun-lee". That is her word for laundry. I looked over and she was playing with her little lawn mower. Lawn mower...laundry...it works!

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Abby loves to floss her teeth! LOVES IT! (Unfortunately, to the extent that she sometimes finds used floss in the bathroom trash can--pretty gross, I know! But I think it is fun that she likes it so much.) The past couple days floss has calmed her sad moments just as well as the binkie! Now, will I be brave enough to say "bye-bye" to the binkie? (Oh, probably not yet!)