Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Rude awakening

At 6:15am, because there was no school due to the federal holiday, Jake and I went to our neighbor's house so he could learn the morning feeding routine for their animals while they're way this weekend.

We got home around 6:40am and I told Jake to go back to bed because that's where I was headed. And if he didn't go back to bed, to be QUIET!

I actually managed to sleep in a little bit longer before I had two little ones climbing on top of me. Sweet Jake had gotten the "babies" out of bed and fed them breakfast. Niiiice.

When Jared got home from work tonight he told me that while Jake and I were down the street this morning, he dutifully went in to wake up Cooper. He related the following:

"Cooper, Man, c'mon it's already 6:30, time to get up."

A moment later, Cooper barely lifted his head off his pillow. Partially whiny, mostly groggy, he informed Jared, "Daaaaaaad. We don't have school today."

Jared, confused: "You don't?"

"Noooo." (If his eyes had been open, they would have been rolling). Extremely inconvenienced, head limply hanging down, he pointed to the wall and grumbled, "Look at my calendar. It says Veteran's Day. NO SCHOOL!"

Bummer for Jared. It's bad enough waking Cooper up when it's necessary. It's even WORSE when you could have let the angry bear sleep longer. Darn those sneaker holidays!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Jake's testimony

Sunday, Calvin woke up in the early hours with a fever. The kid is sprouting about 8 teeth at once, including molars. But he's been doing this for a while, so we suspected the fever was related to something else. Fortunately, Jared was able to check his ears. Both were red. He sent in a prescription, we dosed him up on Motrin, and when it came time for church, I hunkered down with Calvin and Karcyn. (I kept Karcyn home to make life easier on Jared).

I really HATE missing church. Not because the kids are sick, but because I HATE missing church. I HATE missing choir practice. I HATE not being able to take the Sacrament. I HATE not being able to sing the hymns. I HATE not being able to feel the spirit. I HATE not being able to learn something new. I HATE not being able to hear the testimonies of others. I HATE not being able to see my friends who share the same beliefs and perspective I do. I HATE not being able to serve someone.

With that said, however, it was a "good" Sunday to miss in that I didn't have any big responsibility to attend to that day. I wasn't teaching or conducting and didn't need to speak to anyone.

Turns out, after several months, Jake got up to bear his testimony in Sacrament meeting. He mentioned it to me casually in passing after church. He's been doing it off and on for a few years now after we learned about how to appropriately bear a testimony and practiced in family night.

Jared said at dinner that Jake gave a really great testimony. Jared related that Jake had shared that he got up early that morning around 6:30am (he was also fasting) and decided to watch the church movie "Praise to the Man" about Joseph Smith. He said it was very quiet, no one else was up yet, and as he watched the account of Joseph Smith's life, he heard a voice speak to him that said Joseph Smith was a true prophet. He even looked around to see if Cooper was the one whispering to him. Jake had gained a witness of the divine calling that Joseph Smith restored God's gospel in its fulness to the earth and that he was the one who translated the Book of Mormon from ancient records.

Apparently Jared got some playful flack after Sacrament meeting because he was sleeping in while our 9-year-old was watching church movies at 6:30 in the morning. Our kids never sleep in when you want them to. But I'm impressed he chose to watch a Sunday appropriate movie in the quiet of the Sabbath morning and not take advantage of the lack of parental supervision.

After Jared recounted what Jake had said, Jake nodded in agreement then added, "Yeah---I just need to really work on crying while I say my testimony. I don't know how to do that yet."

Gotta, gotta, gotta

Having sold their house in Anchorage, AK, after 17 years (sniff, sniff), having bought a new house outright in Santa Clara, UT, and having spent about 18 months in the U.S.A since mission #2, my parents are ready to serve mission #3.

Our mailbox serves as "home base" for my nomadic parents. So their mission call came to our house on Sept. 30th. Jake got the honor of opening it up and reading where they would be going (practicing for when he gets his own call in 9-ish years). We weren't surprised when he read that Elder and Sister Lee have been assigned to serve for 18 months in Bangalore, India. They were more or less recruited, as they were for their mission in Ukraine. Nonetheless, it was still exciting to get the official word knowing that the Prophet signed off on this location as THE place where my parents need to be. They are to report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT, on Dec. 14, 2009 for about a week. Most their training will be done in the field. Wow...Christmas in India.

Dad reports that they will be the FIRST family history couple to serve in India. There is a Family History Department employee that serves there, but they believe he travels and isn't a native to India. Dad and Mom hope they will get to set up family history centers and teach the Indian people how to do their own genealogy as they did in Ukraine, but they aren't sure what the Asian Area Authority has in mind for them. Whatever it is, however, they will be fabulous! [While serving in Salt Lake City on mission #1, Dad was the Zone Leader for a zone that didn't exist. He had to create it!]

We're looking forward to hearing about their adventures as family history missionaries in an area where the church is relatively new and about the culture and other "things" they will have the opportunity to experience. We're also looking forward to all the blessings that become yours when a family member, especially parents, leave everything behind to selflessly serve more of God's children in a distant land. It's like your life is lifted to a higher level where blessings and protection from on high are much more concentrated than where you were before. We're so grateful for the example my parents are to our own children.

Mom and Dad thought they had a lot to do to get ready to go. So do I!!

Gotta get my web cam set up so we can skype each other online.

Gotta figure out the time difference.

Gotta take advantage of this opportunity!

Gotta start saving our pennies.

Gotta get my passport.

Gotta get a visa.

Gotta eat more curry.

Quiz: Do you know which temple district my parents will be in?
(The winner gets to be really smart :)