A Whirl Wind of Events in November

It's not even Thanksgiving Time and already I have so many things to be thankful for. I'm always anxious I have 8 wonderful children who are independent, hard working and filling their lives with righteous decisions. But the week of November 12-14th I had and abundance of blessing fall into my "Thankful Basket!" It was about 4:30 p.m. on November 12 and I was busy teaching art lessons when the phone ran. "Hi Mom. What you doing?" It was Davy and he was anxious to invite me to abandon my art students and hurry over to American Fork Hospital to witness the birth of his #4 child. Becca and Davy had


















chosen not to find out which sex they were having, because they love the surprise that comes with their new arrival. Shauna Lynn was gracious enough to set her plans aside to come over and cover my art classes so I could go. Becca & Davy have been so wonderful to allow me (the mother in law) to come into delivery and be apart of this special moment with them with all 4 of their children. It is such a miracle and an emotional rush to see a new little being come into this world and it was about 1 2/2 hours after my arrival that little Isabelle Delight was born weighing in at 8 pound and 5 ounces. This is when you know that God knows every desire of your heart. Becca & Davy have been the only ones to allow me this honorary privilege and because Isabelle came 6 days early I was prepared to go up at the LDS hospital in Salt Lake the next morning at 7 a.m. to be with Grandpa Crockett who needed emergency eye surgery.

Well the man (Grandpa Crockett)who has had his head up smiling and shaking hands with seminary students for the past 27 years, has to look down at his shoes for 7 days & is hoping for a miracle. Tim was in surgery last Thursday (November 13th) for 2 ½ hours up at LDS hospital in Salt Lake. They removed his lens, then Dr. Brinton fixed 3 tears in his retina, scrapped off some scare tissue, and repaired a cataract. They put a Nitrous Oxide Gas bubble in the inside of his eye to put pressure on the retina until it heals. In order for it to press against the retina, his head needs to be face down so the bubble will rest against the back of the eye. The Dr. told me that lost vision can not be restored, but if Tim's careful his retina may re-attach and he'll have some vision. Needless to say, he's scared and sobered by it all. He can't see anything out of his left eye and so his right eye is doing all the work right now. It's been hard for him to get any rest but Gayle Fletcher (our massage therapist) has been kind enough to let us use her massage chair and table to make rest possible in the proper position.

Mary Ann wanted her baby sister to have a grand memory on her quarter of a century birthday. So she went to work trying to create a SURPRISE BIRTHDAY party for Shauna Lynn. (Little did we know that what Mary Ann was planning is the very thing that Shauna desired most..... a party with all the people she loved and she didn't have to choose who to be with.)


















Mary Ann arranged for the ward cultural hall and then solicited my assistance. We went to work making sloppy joes and assignments to create this evening of celebration. Kathy Russell (one of Shauna's ward mothers) made her a large birthday cake, while others brought chips, salad and finger foods. About 50 people came ranging in ages from a few months old up to 62. True to Shauna Lynn's nature, the party turned into games. Dodge ball and then Duck Duck Goose. Everyone played....mother's, children, father's and it was joyful. Shauna Lynn's laugher echoed throughout the building. In fact the next Sunday, one of her adopted father's (Rusty Russell) was released after 7 years serving as her bishop and another of her adopted father's (Hank McIntire) took his place. Shauna has always nested herself in the arms of strong & faithful families and has never had to experience being the baby of our family, because she found other families to be the oldest child in.

















My basket of blessings are many. For I have children who long to fill their extra bedrooms with children. Tim's surgery went well and his recovery time has been very pleasant her at home. and my baby girl felt the loving arms of her closest friends as they surrounder her in games on her 25th birthday.

A Halloween Tradition

My first debut as a wicked witch, was in West Valley, when Catherine Elderedge asked me to come to her home to entertain the seniors at her house. From that point on, it became a tradional party. 17 years ago when we moved to Orem, I was called to serve as the Senior's Family Home Evening Leader, and I threw a "Wicked Witch" Halloween Party. Koa Hansen was my accomplis back then. I remember the year, Koa had Bill Croft(age 89 at the time)convinced she was going to marry him or cast a significant spell on his household.




















Over 5 years ago, I was called to be the Seville Retirement Home Enrichment leader. Of course, just like clock work, the October Halloween season rolled around and the wicked witch in me revealed herself. This year Twin Witches came to join in the fun. Monica Martin & her two sons, Thiago & Kevin, along with Monica's sister Casandra Camargo, one of Thiago's mission companions & his little brother who just put inhis mission papers. What a fun evening we had playing, dancing and having fun with all the Seville Saints. As old as most of these folks are, it never ceases to amaze me that the 'little child' in each of them is so anxious for laughter and fun. These ladies were just squirming putting their hands in wet spaghetti noodles and grapes searching for coins. And the race was on when it came time to figure out the word search! They screamed with delight being the first ones finished. Laughter was plentiful and by the time the evening is over, this ole witch had a hard time climbing back on her broom to fly home.

But nothing takes the place of Halloween night. As a young mother, I hated Halloween! So I joined hands with my two neighbors, Linda Christensen and Shauna Harker, and we changed it. Of course, these two ladies are ladies of excellence, and so a simple evening turned into a extensive labor some distraction trying to get away from the "Get & GO" or alias "Trick or Treating." Instead, it became an afternoon & evening full of events: Painting crafts at our house while guessing the number of seeds in a pumpkin or candies in a jar. Then over to Harkers for donut eating & bobbing for apples and dinner with no utinsels. Finally back over to Christensen's for the treasure hunt, pinyata, and carving pumpkins while watching a movie. Elaborate, but so fun. Of course, each year, the children would moan and complain about not being able to go "Trick or Treating" and so they were given a choice of, "You may go Trick or Treating but you can't join in on the family party of events....it's your choice!" They certainly wanted to go "Trick or Treating!" But by the time they came home from school, the family party was in motion. Soon they were involved and distracted. Year, after year, after year we would go through this same "decision" ordeal. I'm not sure how many year this annual custom transpired up on Bourdeaux, but it carried itself down to Orem with our move 17 years ago. However, I thought I would retire my broom when the kids grew up! NOT THE CASE! Then the daughter's in laws wanted the party. My Halloween week has always been filled with preparation & stress. First the "Old Folk" party and then preparations for our family party. Not to mention that our November birthday dinner is in that same week. It is a week that we spend A LOT of serious time together. But hey! That's what being a family is all about. How much fun is it for Grandparents to see little Lions, Ladybugs, Penguins, Superman, Jasmine, Pirates, and Minnie Mouse walk through the back door? Parents are usually smiling with such pride at their cute little ones. They all came to join in an evening of chaos, laughter, food and fun. It's a tradition to have chicken enchilda's with tossed salad. But this year, (some how) we got jalopaneos instead of green chilies in the chicken enchiladas and they were a bit warm! Most of the adults loved them, but the children & mothers didn't care for the extra heat. We were thankful that Aunt Julie Kaye brough nachos....a tradition she remembered from Bourdeaux. The tiny ones were anxious to remove their costumes & just be embraced and talked to. Little Samantha (who is a natural "little mother") asked Aunti "M" (Mary Ann)if she could put Dayton in her baby doll stroller. Aunti "M" is always so willing with these little ones and Dayton thought he was in heaven riding about the house with Samantha as his mommy. Ben(6)loves the donut eating contest...as do the adults. Hauni purchased Krispy Kreme Donuts and they were fresh.....so everyone wanted in. (It's always so fun to see the adults pretend they aren't children, when in fact their 'little child' is very much alive in each of them.Grandma prepared a "little tike" treasure hunt inside the house, while Grandpa prepared a "Garage" one. Little or Old, figuring out clues seems to be attractive to all.....especially when there's a treat at the end of the adventure. Candice & Mary Ann prepared caramel apples with tonz of yummy nuts! (which most of the time is just a treat to take home because we're all too full!) This year, we took the little ones over to the ward "Trunk or Treat" for a half hour. Candice is in the Primary, so she & her little ones needed to go, so we all jumped in her car and went with her.... allowing the little ones to make their haul of candy. Upon returned back to Grandma's, there's pin the tail on the cat or pin the mouth on the jack-o-lantern which the kids like to play until the "Pinyata" alarm goes off. Then coats are on and cheers of excitement go up. Uncle Scottie puts on his "Yank & Dance" gloves while Travis & Ryan take down the tire swing and put up the rope for the pinyata. Then, "let the fun begin!" We always start with the youngest and go up from there. The little kids don't have to wear a blindfold and Uncle Scottie teases them to death bouncing the pinyata up and down. Adults are visiting in the background, laughing with each swing. Grandma has to build a pretty tough pinyata to endure all the beatings it has to go through. Neighbors were wondering what all the noise was about and started throwing candy over the fence to get our attention. They finally just walked over to enjoy our fun. This year was especially fun because it was so warm on Halloween Night. With the new flood light off of the Shabin, the trampoline was lit & full of giggling and laughing children while the ole folks took their turn up to swing at the pinyata.This years pinyata held up great. Candice.....the oldest of the children (since Scott is busy making the pinyata dance) even got her turn. After a few swings, she tore off her blind fold & "ATTACKED the dangling victim!" Laughter was plenty before she finally tore the pinyata off it's rope and Scottie dumped it on the ground for anxious collectors. A wonderful evening for a wonderful family. Everyone was quick to jump in to help clean up the house. Grandma fell into bed kissing her sheets anxious for a long required slumber.

My Associate Art Teacher

Meet my associate art teacher, Shauna "Linda" Crockett named after 2 Shauna's- (Shauna Harker.....one of Syd's closest friends and the other Shauna Pixton....one of Tim's best friends) Her second name Lynn comes from another one of Syd's life long friends.... Linda Christensen. Shauna Harker & Linda Christensen are partly responsible for Shauna Crockett being here in this life. After Syd had a major surgery the doctor told Syd she was pregnant.....about 2 weeks along.... and these 2 close friends pampered and took good care of Syd so Shauna would make it through pregnancy.
These 2 "LIME GREENY" pictures of Shauna were taken the day after Halloween while attending her Ultimate Frisbee tournament near our home.She and one of her closest friends, Kris McIntire, love to run the frisbee fields, along with 5 other team mates, catching & defending a little plastic disc. (I had never seen it played before. I found it really a fun competitive game that required no painful physical contact. I actually think I would have been on the field with her when I was Shauna's age.) It's fun to see Shauna Lynn run up and down the field with her teammates, catching & releasing the frisbee in mid-air and guarding her defender. As a little girl, Shauna Lynn used to be "Greased Lightning" and her brother's used to pit some of the friends against Shauna. The boy's friends would laugh at this challenge seeings that they were 5 years her senior, but Shauna's speed would often prevail a victory. Shauna Lynn is really quite the competitor.....whether in active games or playing Suduko races or Canasta.
On November 14th of this year, Shauna Lynn will turn 25 years old. As I glance back over this quarter of a century, I realize just how fast time flies and how so many little miracles create a BIG one. Well, let me bounce you readers around with my thoughts and pay tribute to my youngest daughter in both picture and word. Shauna Lynn is a bright ray of sunshine where ever she goes and with whom ever she is with. Her delightful positive personality embraces all......both young and old alike. As a child she amazed me with how she could be totally involved in a world of creativity playing with a 1 1/2 year old one minute and then 5 minutes later be socializing with older folks on their level. Her ability to embrace the moment and those she is associating with is totally inspiring. Just two years ago she returned from her mission in Costa Rica. Tim & I, along with Julie Kaye had the privilege of going down to pick her up. Was it any surprise to find that her personal testimony had magnified abundantly, but personally, she had not changed one bit. Her arms had only opened to wider to embrace more people to love. Her missionary work was nothing more than living and teaching something she had practiced her entire life. That of honoring the good in people, modeling and teaching a higher truths, and believing in everyone who wanted to over come adversity. LOVE----LOVE--- LOVE----and LAUGH alot! That's Shauna's motto. Life is to be enjoyed not endured! And when you're feeling down......shucks.....just look up and count your many blessings!Prior to leaving on her mission, Shauna help me teach some of my beginning classes art. Her natural patience and teaching ability is always worthy of modeling. Having her be in my class room with me, allowed me some time to be with this "woman on the move" and spend time with her. (As a little girl, we used to call her "The Wind" because she would disappear so quickly and be blocks away before the family even realized she was away from the dinner table. Her trail of clothes made it easy to run her down......because she loved being naked and stripped herself as soon as she was out of eye sight. As Shauna Lynn grew older... she managed to keep her clothes on, but her need to be out and about has never left.) So when she came home off her mission, I emptied my waiting list of beginner art students and she started teaching her own set of classes here in our home. (Of course, I'm usually around if she runs into problems or has questions.) Selfishly, I love having her so close and being able to watch her magical talents up close. During these past couple of years, Grandma Price was living with us. Shauna Lynn became one of my main stays with Grandma. She would often come home from school and eat lunch with her or just stop and visit. Shauna Lynn, was always so playful and teasing with my mother. She could calm Grandma down when she became disoriented or lost in the past. Many times, Shauna willingly stayed over night with Grandma so Tim & I could get away for a weekend. Reflectively, I remembered my own Grandma Jacobs (My mother's mother) with whom I had a special relationship.....a closeness and affection that seemed rare and distinct. I couldn't help feel that like myself, Shauna Lynn, had developed a special love and affection for my mother. They were buddies and Shauna Lynn always was so attentive in helping Grandma get out of the car, into the restrauant, or taking care of any of her special needs. Shauna would laugh with Grandma when others of us were ready to tear our hair out in frustration.Other wonderful qualities about Shauna Lynn are: She loves her nieces and nephews and spoils them royally. She loves all little children (BIG or small...old or young!) Guess that's because she is such a kid herself. Shauna is smart, independent, free to share anything she has with others and totally in love with life. One of Shauna's personal passions is taking pictures. Oh yes, she loves taking pictures of others, but oddly enough, she has a total passion about taking pictures of herself. It's not an uncommond thing to see her arm out stretched, camera in hand, taking a self portrait shot of herself. Much to her chagrin, I had to delete about 30 self portraits off my camera in Costa Rica just to have room to take pictures of our other adventures. Shauna was ticked at me! But anyone will laugh at her passion to picture herself! She needs to go into acting or something! Shauna Lynn is the youngest of our 7 children. Although she has adopted many other families as her own, she still finds time and loves her siblings more than anything. (She has a younger Angel brother, Michael, who teases her from the other side, but Shauna rules the "baby" position in our family here.) Many "youngest children" are spoiled. But I can't say that about Shauna Lynn. Because of her need to "be on the run" all the time, she doesn't stand still long enough to be spoiled. Several other families who have taken her in, spoiled and embraced her sometimes more than we do. I've had to learn to share my baby girl & my motherhood with these other families. However the quality and level of excellence these family represent demonstrate to me the clarity & high standard Shauna Lynn wants for herself. She has only placed her life in family of excellence, faith, and humility. And when she comes home, she finds her sisters bidding for her time and attention. As parents, Tim & I have been highly favored of the Lord. He has sent us children of character, independence, self sufficiency, faith, and honor. 7 of 7 have been worthy to enter the doors of the temple, 7 of 7 have served honorable missions, and next year 7 of 7 will have educated themselve and support themselves in various fields. Success in our family is totally the Lords. But we are so grateful that our children love to be with each other as best friends and they love to play with each like little children.Now I ask anyone.....Is it any wonder why this youngest of mine sits by my side teaching beginning art classes as she works her way through Utah Valley State University to become an Elementary School Teacher? Will it be any wonder why schools will bid for an opportunity to have Shauna Lynn Crockett to work at their school and love the children with in their school walls? As for me.....her employer.....I will be the first to give her a letter of recommendation. My baby girl, my sweetheart princess, my associate teacher and best friend.
I love you Shauna "Linda" Crockett. Always be ready to grow, but please never change!

Fall Break in Colorado

Southwest Airlines made it easy and cheap for Tim & I to jump on the plane and fly to Colorado to spend Fall Break. Our plane landed at 8:15 in the morning which made our weekend stay with Alan & Karen's family in Highland's Ranch a full 4 days. And there is nothing like having good children and wonderful grandchildren to make a weekend eventful & entertaining. Karen had allowed Sam to stay home from school to greet us. He was waiting inside the basement door ready to spook & welcome us. Then Karen ran him back over to his school. (Sam's 10 now....still as sweet & thoughtful as ever, but loves to tease and torcher, much like his Dad used to when he was a boy.) On this trip I was especially proud of Grandpa Tim. He grew up not ever knowing his Grandparents on either side. (Both of Tim's parents were orphaned by the age of 14 & 16 so neither parents even knew their in-laws.) So knowing the concepts & roll of being a Grandpa was only exemplified to Tim by my father. Once Tim asked me the question, "Syd, how is it that when the children pop in or the Grandchildren want something from you, it's so easy for you to just stop life and give them your full attention?" That was a "researching question" for Tim and I knew he was trying to figure out how to be a better grandparent. My answer to him was, "It's not always easy. Sometimes you just have to put life on hold because you have one chance to make a memory with a child. Once that chance passes, it's gone forever. I want my children & grandchildren to remember me with treasured moments. It's my last gift to them." From that point on, I've noticed Tim trying harder and harder to set his wants and needs aside to create special memories with his grandchildren. Both of Tim's parents died rather young: His dad at 58 and his mother at 72.....and Tim has always anticipated dying young. However, that's pretty much up to God & His time table. For now, I'm glad to see Tim investing some memorable moments.
Going to Colorado in the Fall has been a tradition for Tim & I for the past several years. It used to be UEA weekend.....UEA doesn't exist any longer.....and so it's fall break. Either way, it's Halloween time and that means Painting PUMPKINS. One year Karen & I took the kids out to the PUMPKIN PATCH to allow the children to pick their own pumpkins. This year, Connor's school class went & so the pumpkins were waiting when we arrived. Paint shirts were pulled out, kitchen table covered and the acrylic paints were opened. Connor(5) is the Colorado Artist. He'll spend hours coloring and drawing, and so Grandma was busy before she knew it. Of course Elle(2)is Connor's best friend and wanted right in the middle of the colors as well. Connor chose a scary face to put on his pumpkin. Elle wanted Minnie Mouse since that's what's she going to be this year for Halloween. With paint brushes in hand, we all went to right to work! Connor immediately drew what he wanted on his pumpkin. Elle was in heaven splashing every and all colors all over her pumpkin surface. Grandma opened & distributed paint & washed out brushes. Then waited for nap time & Kindergarten to put in the pumpkin details. Everyone was thrilled. You know....there is something magical about paint and kids. I think its the brilliant colors and the ease & fluidness of the liquid as they apply it. And for Colorado Crockett, when we run out of pumpkin space, we turn to rocks. (It always makes me smile as I walk in each of the children's rooms and see painted rocks on their shelves from previous visits. Simple little treasure....simple little memories of visits we've shared together.)While the boys were at school and Elle at a neighbors, Alan, Karen, Tim & I jumped on our only chance for some lunch & adult time together. We went to Little Holly's(an Asian restaurant). YUMMY! The food is worth returning for. And Little Holly's has become a "regular spot" during our Colorado stay. Grandpa loves to speak to everyone....no one has to be a stranger to Tim. He love everyone and he loves to figure out their heritage and tid bits about them. And oh our lucky waiter who was far from Asian. In fact the poor guy could hardly speak any English. But Dad taped in on his Spanish & the games began. The waiter was glad to have someone speak his native tongue and Tim was glad to investigate his life & purpose. Often this interaction is embarrassing for Alan, but Alan also speaks Spanish, so he made the most of Grandpa's adventure. Karen & I were the only ones out of the loop. We just enjoyed the food and laughing at Tim's pleasurable interview. The Lunch was wonderful, our visit with Alan & Karen, very fulfilling and then it was back to pick up Elle and welcome the 3 boys home from school. Thursday night was our Family night together. Grandpa asked the boys what they wanted to do. (Tim's good for making activities happen. If it were up to me,I could just stay around home and enjoy life there.) Chase(8) jumped at the chance to spark the idea of going Bowling together. Now with that big of group, cost could be a factor. But smart and frugal Karen knew she had a coupon which made this activity possible. Before we knew it, we were in the van and on our way to the local bowling Alley. Oh what fun we had. Life becomes totally equal when everyone present has the same kind of shoes, the same kind of ball and bowling on the same lane. We all seemed to "hug" the gutter a little too often and hitting all of the bowling pins down were far & few between. But we all had a whole lot of fun just laughing and being together. The young ones managed to get some pretty competitive score having gutter guards and ball rollers to help guide their balls. But Sambo held his own all by himself and beat Karen & I royally. (Karen & I bowled as one. Karen threw the first ball and left me to clean up her splits. Needless to say.....we bombed out quick.) But little Elle. Oh she had to carry her big ball all by herself, place it on the ball roller and then could care less what pins fell down. She was glad to be "BIG" along with the rest of the family. At the same time being a curious little girl discovering the new vibrations as the balls rolled back to their starting place. The boys were anxious to bowl a second game so Karen, Elle, & I ran to Costco for pizza and some groceries. By the time we figured out Tim's Costco Cash Card's balance, Elle had won the heart of the woman cashier who treated her to a free smoothie & crustie stick. We met the boys back home and enjoyed our pizza treat together. Fun! FUN! FUN! Now take that full & active day, then pile on top all day Friday visiting the boys Elementary school 3 times to participate in their annual Fun Run activity and it spells BUSY! (Grandma has so many PRIDE buttons popping offer her shirt, she might be arrested for immodesty!) Sam running 12 quarter mile laps, Chase running 10 laps and Connor a big 5 with Karen running along with each of her boys. Then all day Saturday we were attending and cheering for 3 soccer games where both Sam & Chase scored 3 goals each and Alan coaches Connor's beginning team......needless to say, we were well spent. (I laughed because each time they sent Sam into play, he scored a goal....then the coach would take him out until they needed another goal! He did it every time!) But all of these boys are Champions & following champions often means a lot of time & fatigue. At home, Alan had to address his employment, Karen was always on the run squeezing in cooking, cleaning up or washing clothes. Connor let Grandma & Grandpa challenge his new reading skills....Elle rode her two wheel bike to the grocery store with Mom & Grandma, we painted another pumpkin, Grandpa did some basic home repairs and embroidered red "CJC" on Chases new scripture case, the boys watched some football,and played Wii, and at bed time, Grandpa read stories. Sunday, Karen spoke in church sharing her sensitive testimony about facing adversity, the need for others and how the past conference talks became instrumental in giving her personal strength. She did an excellent job and the spirit was powerful. After the remainder of our meetings, Sam & Grandma made 2 fresh homemade apple pies together then everyone crashed for nap time. (We were all ready for this day of rest!) Later that evening Uncle Mike (Syd's brother) & Aunt Kathy Price came over for dinner and we spent the evening visiting. Sunday night concluded with some childhood memories from Grandma before the boys went to bed, preparing a Halloween treasure hunt and filling the kids shoes with candy for when they woke up Monday morning. (Grandma & Grandpa would be gone flying back home to Utah and this tradition is a sweet way to bid farewell to our beloved Colorado Family.) Thank you Alan & Karen for being such supportive hosts, for investing yourselves in teaching and raising a good family, for honoring God more than man, and for willingly opening you home for our visits. We love you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Much!

October Omelets & Family

October means Fall General Conference and listening to our living prophets prepare us for the next six months of facing life together. I was impressed this conference by how many speakers talked about having hope, moving forward in faith, and not allowing our circumstances to cause anger among us which creates distance. In the Crockett home, we've faced our share of adversities & differences. But as a family, we have tried to move forward with a brightness of hope, creating a better tomorrow. As tradition has it, each General Conference our family gathers on Sunday morning to enjoy one of Dad's special omelets prior to conference starting. (At least that's the idea! Tee hee tee hee!) Mom gets all the ingredients prepared the day before and then on Sunday morning, she lays them all out for Dad to cook up "his specialty omelets" that are individually ordered." As I watched the children file in this Sunday....some with children & babies, other's expecting a babies soon.....I couldn't help reflect about families. I looked backward for a moment and thought about Tim's growing up years and the traditions his family set into motion. I asked myself, are his memories written down and posted so his children and grandchildren can reflect on the moments of joy, travel, scobbles, and friendship between his siblings. Do our children know their Grandma & Grandpa Crockett like they should. Likewise, have I taken time to record how the hard blow of polio hit my family shortly after the following picture was taken. Somewhere amidst all their pain-struck confusion, my parents were torn between shuffling me into the arms of my two grandparents and making trips to Salt Lake to witness two of their sons in Iron Lungs. Kathryn was ladened with responsibilities far beyond imagination for a young 10 year old girl. Our family felt blasted by adversity and yet my parents worked endlessly to provide for everyone of our needs, heal the boys from their afflictions and create happy memories for us which brought us together.
Our family were little youngsters once. And time for me to "stop & write" seemed impossible. But I have found that if we don't take time......it just keeps ticking on & recordings are soon lost.
Each family is so unique. No two children have the same childhood.....even if they live in the same family. Each persons story & point of reference is distinctly different because of age and perception. And yet being in a family is the most priceless of any possession. For parents, the real trick is helping children be friends and being willing to teaching each other rather than compete. It doesn't come without resistance and sometimes adversity. It doesn't come without having to start over and over and over again.....trying to implement principles of respect, faith, cooperation and a number of "time-outs.". And it doesn't come without commitment to allot of precious, dedicated, and sometimes laborious TIME. Time does fly on wings of lightning. If it slips away from us without effort or commitment, the most precious of relationships drown in the sea of forgotten experiences. Our October Omelets aren't perfect. It isn't 100% quiet, with everyone paying attention to our leaders speaking. In fact their are rooms for little ones, room for sleeping babies, and rooms of chaos. But this wonderful tradition that calls our family together is perfect. Alan & Karen's family wait for Grandma & Grandpa's fall visit in Colorado. This year, Davy & Becca's family was on their way home from a wedding in Arizona. But the other 5 children were here at home, sharing a family tradition and being together united in hope and faith. My greatest blessing is that our children do acknowledge one another as their closest friends. Each one chooses to be active in the faith we taught them as children and each one is creating a "new beginning" of their own. In the not too far distance we will have 7 major branches of our family tree expanding into their own family traditions. Tim & I will have to divide our time and choose to rotate as we visit each of their separate homes. As each of them choose to follow the teachings of our living prophets who spoke today, Tim & I will have another reason to rejoice and celebrate our posterity.
Yes, family and happiness are synonymous. "Now let us rejoice in the day of salvation....no longer a stranger on earth need we room. Good tidings are sounding to us and each nation...." Oh that melody is resounding in my heart today as simple October Omelets has called our family home to rejoice & be together.