Randomness

Why am I always playing catch up? Oh yeah, I'm crazy, that's why. We just had our Christmas Enrichment Dinner for church-which is always a big deal-and I'm still recovering from that. So now I've got some pics to post. . .


Here's Spencer-Bencer hanging out on the swings a couple of weeks ago.




Our little 'pirate' Avery is adjusting well to the torture I put her through with the headbands. Cory just HAD to document her pain and suffering.

Not a bit camera shy, is she?

Andi did her little Thanksgiving song in preschool a couple of weeks ago- she's loving having lots of friends. She often tells us that she's going to marry her 'boyfriend' Cole. Great. . .

Ainslee is posing in front of one of our traditional Christmas season breakfasts-feel free to steal the idea! It's green french toast (dye the milk egg mix) with sausages for tree stumps.

Here are most of the kids (Ains in green, Ash on the top, Spence on the right) at the Rice Family Farm for Thanksgiving.

Another Christmas tradition is laying under the Christmas tree and singing Christmas songs while I play the piano. I think it only lasted 3 songs this year. . .

So you got me. This is how I get my girls' hair so curly for church. This is the night before taking pictures for the Christmas card.

Here's Cory and his Dad working hard at the Farm. It was COLD! By the way- does anyone know how to fix a 1950's Ford Tractor? Just wondering.

The many faces of Avery

This is the "See,-my-family-is-normal" look.



This is the "Why-is-my-brother-always-sticking-his-finger-in-my-nose" look.




This is the "My-eyes-are-bigger-than-yours" look.



This is the "Why-did-I-give-up-heaven-for-this" look.

Isn't she adorable!!!

Isn't it amazing. . .

how you can be feeling so down on yourself because you don't sew, bake, sing, write funny blog posts, and a million other awesome things that other people do and then your wonderful naughty little boy will wipe away your tears and everything bad is suddenly gone. AMAZING.

Don't give up on us!

Okay, really, we're not dead- just really busy. 5 kids will do that to a person I guess :) But for reals we're all still here, alive and happy. And now we're going away for 1 week! Then I promise, I'll be back at it (and hopefully our computer will be working a little better so I can post pictures).

As AUNAULD says:
I'll be back

You wanna know what happened to me today. . .

The first 5 minutes of our sacament meeting was very exciting for me- full on baby poop explosion up Avery's back and all over my skirt. Nothing like a little mustard colored stain on my white skirt for the rest of the meeting. And of course I had to take the little ones out twice so I couldn't even hide it! Everyone look at me!!!! I'm sure everyone wondered why I ate a hotdog before church and got a little crazy with it and spilled it and didn't care enough to change! What a day.

Look Out Below!

No, really. Look underneath this post and you'll find some other new ones!

Much better quote!

This quote trumps my "American President" quote. And it well should, as it was given by a prophet of the Lord. Thanks to Mark and Angela for sending this spiritual buoy in these difficult times.

The below was given in an address to BYU students by Elder Neal A. Maxwellin 1978.

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.'

"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.

"Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened.... Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."

--- Elder Neal A. Maxwell