Thurs. 3rd--I woke up to a notification that a friend had tagged me in a post on Facebook. Little did I know, the post was about me!
Here’s to the HERO
Jenn Hough
s of the world! Allow me to highlight only one of the many Christlike attributes of this woman. Several years ago I found myself accepting the calling as Relief Society President in our ward. My dear visiting teaching coordinator, Carrie, and I frequently met to prayerfully go over visiting teaching routes and companionships. More often than not during those meetings we felt impressed to move Jenn to a new route. “Jenn would be really great for this sister right now.” “This sister is going through difficult things, perhaps Jenn can be the one to help her feel cared for.” “We need someone reliable in this situation. Jenn feels right.” You see, Jenn wholeheartedly loves everyone, making each person feel truly seen. She takes the time to remember their preferences. She has a spiritual gift for conversing spirit to spirit which allows others to easily open up to her. When it came time to hear the visiting teaching reports Carrie and I always looked forward to Jenn’s report. She was thorough and candid and optimistic and sensitive in reporting about her sisters. Jenn never murmured, although at times did question our decision making skills only because she wanted more time to enjoy ministering to the women on her route. She would just barely begin to feel like she was getting to know a sister well when we would switch her, but because this is just how she normally functions in her relationships, she didn’t realize that she was doing more to know her sisters in a few weeks than some do in months or years. Sometimes the sisters who were taken off Jenn’s route voiced their sadness to us as well. Sometimes I questioned myself and my own impressions toward moving her. Here’s the thing though, when Jenn was taken off a route she didn’t sign off from ministering to the sisters no longer on her assignment. She simply ministered to them plus the newly assigned women. I ended up having to cut my time in that calling short because of a move out of state. When I heard who would be taking over the reins of the RS President calling I realized God’s wisdom in the frequent route switching. The new president was Jenn. God had gifted her a game of speed round getting to know the sisters so she could easily transition into her new stewardship. I had been gifted the peace that these dear sisters would be left in great hands when I had to say good bye. We had all been gifted the opportunity to be still and watch God at work with his CS3 daughters. Basically, when I grow up I want to be like Jenn, my dear sister who is eons ahead of me at emulating Christ. #LightTheWorld I was in tears as I read this post. I was so touched that Rachel had truly "seen me." I think it's such a gift when people can do that. And it was really neat to hear Rachel's point of view as well. But the week before, I been feeling a bit sorry for myself. Feeling like I don't have any friends...close friends...who call me or text me or invite me to go do things with them...or would if covid circumstances allowed for it. I knew my pity parties and the longing for what I see many others have was selfish and I needed to forget about myself. When I finally pushed past the embarrassment and talked to the Lord about this, I prayed He would help change my heart. And less than a week later, Rachel wrote this post. I know that she was prompted by the Lord to do so. There's no way she could have known what I needed to hear otherwise. That unexpected recognition alone was enough to calm my troubled heart. However, Rachel's beautiful tribute reminded me that I had a very special opportunity to forge friendships and trust with a multitude of sisters in the CS3 ward and I will take those connections with me through the eternities. I also realized that we're here on earth to work for the Lord. And sometimes that work is lonely. If you are fortunate to have a relationship with a friend or two that I was yearning for, how blessed you are. But if you don't, that's okay, too. So from that point on, I chose to be grateful for the gift of joy and love while serving in that specific capacity in Relief Society and chose to focus less on myself and more on others--which is where our true joy comes from anyway.
*Our Christmas Chain activity was a first for us...making animal balloons. I found the kit at the Dollar General for $5. And it was a hoot! We had a great time!
Reading the directions.
Shortly after I woke up, Jared called. He said that he just got a call from College Station High School. Cooper had been identified as being in close contact with a positive covid case. He was summoned to the principal's office who lead with, "You're not in trouble" :) and proceeded to tell Cooper that he was required to go into quarantine. Again. And then the principal called Jared. The good news, however, is that the CDC had just come out with new guidelines. The exposure apparently took place on Wednesday. So Cooper was eligible to get covid tested (between days 5 and 7) on Sunday or Monday. If he tested negative, he was allowed to return to school on Tuesday. Which meant, he was really only missing 1 full day of school. Another blessing. But oh, how ironic!
Sat. 5th--Our Christmas Chain activity for the day was to go through our Central Park to see the lights display. So we piled in the car after Jared got home from work and headed toward town. We were belting out Christmas songs with the music from the radio as we drove the 20 minutes up the road. As we neared the cross street off Texas Avenue, we saw the loooong line of cars waiting to turn onto the street the park is on. But it's a good mile or so down that road. We took our spot in line and waited. And waited. And waited. We crept forward. Barely. I've been to this park. There is not a lot of parking. Which made me wonder...when we do finally make it there, will there even be a place to park? Only a couple minutes passed when I told Jared to just bag it and take us home. We could watch a movie or something together. Jared blew out a sigh of relief. He laughed and said, "You got it. I wasn't going to say anything, but I'm really glad YOU did. We would have spent all night waiting in line." The sheer number of cars in the queue was insane.
This is the picture of the lights in the park as we passed on the highway...proof that we saw them. Ha!
Back at home, we watched the Disney original "Godmothered." It was cute.
Now we're ALL in the picture. :)
Sun. 6th--Jared was talking using Olaf. Not sure what he was saying. But Jared can make anything funny and the kids loved it.
*I had a last-minute, brilliant idea (so let's be real, it was God's idea, not mine) for a Christmas gift for my ministering sisters. I wanted them to take the time to think of all the wonderful blessings they had received and experienced in 2020 and to write them down on a separate piece of paper I included. Then they were to cut out the slips of paper, roll them and stuff the scrolls in the ornament with the year 2020 that I had colored on the outside. And there was chocolate included, too, of course. I was really happy with the way it turned out, considering I am far from crafty or originally creative.
Mon. 7th--Sweet Karycn, before leaving for early morning seminary at 6:15am.
I have never forgotten this and have shared it a few times before and felt like I needed to share it again.
Tues. 8th--Haha!! I love how clever people are!
When I went into Jill's room later that afternoon after leaving the card in her box, she was sitting at the back table doing small group instruction. She stopped what she was doing to tell me that my letter made her cry. She explained that in the ten years she's been teaching, she strives for the things I wrote about and really appreciated that I noticed. She also said that she has a really great class this year. :) I was so happy to have made her day.
*Our chain activity for this day was to sing Christmas hymns or primary songs. We've been doing a Christmas Chain for a decade now and this is the first year we've ever done a sing-a-long. But this is also the first year that we aren't allowed to sing in church as a covid precaution. I just can't imagine the Christmas season without singing hymns like "Joy to the World," "Silent Night," "Away in a Manger," "Angels We Have Heard on HIgh," and my favorite, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." We were super fortunate that Jake was home and could play the piano for us. We each selected our favorite song and then our favorite verse to sing. I think this was one of my favorite activities for the year. We have some great voices and even had four-part harmonies within our little group. It was powerful and beautiful and soul-filling to sing these hymns of worship. JJ picked "Once There Was a Snowman" and even did the actions to it.
"Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman. Once there was a snowman, tall, tall, tall...
In the sun he melted, melted, melted. In the sun he melted...
small, small, small."
Wed. 9th--Every Christmas, at the beginning of December, we each consider a gift we can give to Christ. We are to ponder and pray about who we can serve and how we can lift another. It took me a week, but I finally felt like I should write letters to some of the new people I interact with at the elementary school. I've been able to observe and learn so many wonderful things and I know a kind written word can go a long way (for a long time) in lifting another.
This was my first letter, to Kindergarten teacher, Jill Peterson, who used to teach at Greens Prairie Elem. and was teaching first grade with JJ's teacher, Leslie Miller, before we were rezoned to River Bend. Her room is magical. She does such fun, fun things in a very structured, predictable way and the kids thrive! She has a voice barely above the hum of a bird that I almost miss it, but the kids don't. They hear it and the kids respond to it respectfully and immediately.
*This was also WILD WEDNESDAY for staff members where we dress up as teams to certain themes provided by the principal, take pictures, then the principal submits them to a few people in the district to be the off-site judges. The winners of Wild Wednesday get a free lunch from the principal that next Friday.
The theme was "Jingle All the Way." The resource teacher extraordinaire, Rebecca Young, who I assist, made elf shirts for everyone on the SpED (special education) team. I was Julia Jolly Bum. Can you spot me? 
Here I am in front of the school Christmas tree covered in all sorts of bear ornaments.
From left to right we have Rebecca Young (teacher), Pegan Heyman (assistant), and me.
The three of us gals with Kevin Bradford...the resource teacher for the 3rd/4th graders. A couple weeks prior, Rebecca and I were chatting about something. As part of that conversation, I told her that I hoped I was making her job easier. She said I totally was and shared that just the night before she had been able to sit down and watch a 30 minute show with her husband for the first time since school started! I was so happy to hear it. And the week before Christmas break, I had been looking at the district's proposed schedule for the 21-22 school year. I asked Rebecca and Pegan when the paraprofessionals go back to school...if it was when students return or the two weeks before when teachers report. Rebecca said it was when the teachers go back and then she asked incredulously, "Does this mean you're staying on?!" I laughed. I guess I hadn't really told them I was just planning to remain in the job for as long as it was available and shared my decision with Rebecca who was thrilled and relieved. :)
*We went to Caldwell that night for seminary and activities. Karcyn is the bulletin board coordinator and she updated the board while we waited for seminary to finish.
*Julia Jolly Bum without the mask! It was covered in tinsel and consequently very hot and itchy. It was relief of a whole new dimension to take that sucker off. :)
Thurs. 10th--I work with a second-grade girl each morning to help her with her writing skills. We had been working on making a short story about mammals. I modeled for her what I would do and then she used that example to think of her own words and ideas to put on paper. This writing also required illustrating and anyone who knows me understands that this is a very tall order. I can't even draw stick figures. But because I had to attempt an illustration for the sake of modeling the work, I drew a cat. It's a pretty sad-looking cat. But my parents and siblings might tell you there is a striking resemblance between this drawing and my Grandpa Cooper's artwork, especially cats, which he often sent in the letters he wrote to us children. Which I think is pretty darn cool.
*I showed the meme below to a young gal I eat lunch with at school. She is 26 or 27. She didn't get it. This is a snapshot of the final challenge in the movie "The Neverending Story" that Atreyu had to pass through. The sphinxes shoot lasers from their eyes at anyone who tries to pass between them. The movie was released during the summer of 1984. Since the girl at work didn't recognize the humor in the meme, I decided to put it in the text group with Jared and the boys. I told Jared, "Let's see if the young whipper-snappers get this."
Cooper replied: The never ending story is an all time fave of mine.
Jared said: We've raised them well.
*When I was pondering who I could write a note of encouragement for this day, it took a little thinking. But then it was very clear. I help pack up and walk four special needs kids to their bus each afternoon about 10 minutes ahead of the rest of the school because their bus leaves first. The bus driver, a very nice African American woman, old enough to be a mom to me, is such a breath of fresh air in the afternoon. She greets them with such expressive warmth and cheerfulness. She tells them she's so happy to see them and asks each of them how their day was as they get on the bus. I always look forward to seeing her in the afternoons because her attitude is contagious. Unfortunately, I didn't know her name. And felt awful that I didn't know it. But I didn't let that stop me from writing her this card.
*My friend, Sariah and I got to have one last lunch together before she moved away to another part of Texas. Sariah was one of my first friends here in CS and it was a bonus that she lived in our subdivision! I loved getting to know her and learn from her example. She hosted girls night/game nights often at her house. And she hired our kids to watch her animals when they went out of town. Sariah actually moved out of her house about a year ago. She was nearby but we were assigned to a different unit in our stake and our paths just didn't cross anymore. I've missed her very much. But so grateful we got to have this time together to catch up at Lupe Tortilla.
Sat. 12th--We weren't expecting it, but Calvin's middle school choir ended up getting approval to hold their holiday concert--outside. We had a different family activity planned for the day, but we were happy that this concert finally came to fruition and put the other one on hold. Calvin is in the first row, just left of the music stand wearing a black hoody sweatshirt under his choir shirt.
While we were at the concert, in between songs, Jared was looking for a dog. He was scrolling through different rescue organizations and showed me a couple postings he thought might be promising, but none of them "impressed" me. Maybe my expectations were a little high, but I wasn't going to settle. Especially when it came to getting an animal that would be living in my home. My teaching partner, Rebecca, had just adopted an 18 month old Pomeranian from a local rescue right after Thanksgiving. She had actually showed me pictures of the two she was debating between. One was a puppy that looked like a little fox, named Rolo. She said he was really shy when they went to meet the dogs at the foster home, and ended up adopting, Twizzler--who they renamed Apollo. I told Rebecca we had applied several times in the past month or so to adopt dogs at rescues within a few hours from CS and no one ever got back to us. It was so frustrating, especially when it is not a simple application. You have to describe your house, your backyard, the number of people in your home, their ages. They need to know the name of your vet (even though we don't have one) and for every adult in the home (that's four now) we had to provide social security numbers and copies of drivers licenses so they could do background checks. It seriously took close to an hour to get one application filled out. I swear it's easier to have a baby or buy a house than it is to adopt a dog from a rescue. Rebecca said we should look at the rescue where they got Apollo. So when none of the dogs Jared had showed me that afternoon stood out at me, I told him to look up "Recycled Poms" and see if there was anything on that site.
He showed me the first one he saw. It was Rolo, the little fox who was around 4 months old.
I told Jared he might as well start filling out the application, even though I doubted we'd hear from them either. And honestly, I didn't want a puppy. Though in Rolo's description they said he's close to being potty trained and is already crate trained--the latter being a big deal for me. With me working now, the dog has to be crate trained. Fortunately, on the longest week, he'll only have to be in the crate for three days during the week.
*Post-concert family selfie. It was so warm, we had to turn the A/C on in the car! Before we went home, we stopped by Sams Club and got frozen yogurt treats.
*We got this AMAZING unexpected gift of LOVE from our friends the Uptons. Those cinnamon rolls are the bomb. No joke. I've never tasted anything like them before. I'm afraid to ask for the recipe because I don't want to be accountable. ;) I think I would lose control every weekend.
*Jake and his date for the night, Katie Carter. Turns out she served a church service mission in Houston. She served with President and Sister Ellis--who Jake and I met in June at a meeting in Houston sharing more about service missions. My parents also served with the Ellis's in South Africa!
Sun. 13th--JJ getting his baby fix with little William at church.
*I support three kindergarten children throughout each day. One of the teachers, who I didn't know very well and haven't really had a chance to get to know, told me that she had something for me on Friday. When I came to pick up her student, she walked over to the door and gave me a small gift bag. She leaned in and said in her strong, southern voice, "I am SO glad you are here. You are such a bright light and are so good with the kids." Wow. I was so shocked. I don't see Amy very much and we're usually trying to calm her student between our hand-offs. I had only been working at the school for less than two months at that point and I hadn't done anything spectacular or noteworthy in my book. I took the little gift bag home. I noticed she had given Rebecca a similar bag the day before and it was an ornament, though I didn't know what it had on it. When I saw that I, too, had an ornament, I thought it might say Merry or Joy or something like that on it. I can't believe I didn't take a picture of it, but my jaw dropped when I saw the letters spelled "Christ." Wow!! Then I remembered that Amy had noticed I had been carrying around a book called, "Redeemer" for those rare times when I have a few minutes of downtime. She also told me how much she appreciated my uplifting posts on Facebook when I ponderize. I just replied that I was grateful to know someone was reading them. I love my CHRIST ornament so much. And even though this was a thank you note, I took the time to share my words of encouragement with her as part of my gift to the Savior.
When I saw Amy the next day in the hall after she received my note, she pulled me into a Texas-sized hug and said, "Come here! Your card made me cry! In a good way!! Thank you so much."
*We got stuck on our application for Rolo when they asked for a vet. We've never had a pet so we don't have a vet. But you can't move on in the application unless you list a vet.Well, I didn't want to list one and then have the rescue call to verify that we are patients because then they'd think we were liars. AHHH! So I texted Rebecca to ask her who they use after explaining the dilemma. She told us to just list whichever one we wanted--to give them an idea you are at least familiar with one and that she'd let the person know we were submitting an application and to look for it. Rebecca said they had a hard time deciding between Apollo and Rolo. She said Rolo is a sweet dog and a lot smaller in person than in the pictures.
About 10 minutes later Rebecca sent a text with an application to the Recycled Poms right here in BCS and that the gal is keeping an eye out for it. But Jared had already sent in the application. I guess the rescue contact that Rebecca was communicating with hadn't seen our application and that sometimes they go to Dallas/Fort Worth instead. She said it had happened to her. The gal told Rebecca to make sure we used the link she sent us--it's her personal one, so Jared filled out the one from the link she sent because this gal was expecting it. We certainly didn't intend for Rebecca to play the middle man for us, but at the same time, we were grateful for her help.
Except that we were told we couldn't submit another application until the first one had been reviewed. Ugh. Bummer. We did send an email inquiring about Rolo before we applied so maybe that was to our advantage? The next thing I know, Rebecca asked me to send a picture of our backyard. I apologized to Rebecca for dragging her into our dog dilemma. But she was happy to help. The rescue lady had sent us an email and Rebecca said her own daughter was so excited about us possibly adopting Rolo since they were looking at Rolo, too!
Later that evening, Rebecca sent me a couple of videos with Rolo (and her Apollo) in them so we could see what he looked like. He is a little guy. Which I liked! We got an email from Lauren, at the rescue, saying that since they aren't doing home visits now because of covid, we would get a phone interview instead. Rebecca said that if the call goes well, it sounded like it's a done deal. My goodness, really?!
*I had been wanting to thank Rachel personally for her sweet words that she shared on Facebook. I wanted her to know the specifics on how she was an answer to my "embarrassing" prayers.
Tues. 15th--It was dress-up with BOWS day. :)
*This little guy is the son of JJ's ELA teacher. After I had been to his kindergarten class, he asked me if I could help him with one of his bey blades. Since JJ owns some, I did attempt to help, but was not successful. I told him that my son is good with these things and he should ask him. Except, I didn't know at the time that he was Mrs. Gideon's son, nor that he knew who I was. :) So I thought it was really sweet when I found JJ helping Pax when I came back in from the after-school car line duty.
Wed. 16th--I love this thought so much.
*On our way to Caldwell for seminary and church activities, I got a call from someone wanting to interview me about possibly adopting Rolo. Fortunately, we had plenty of time as we had just started our drive. She wanted to know about our family and the ages of the kids. She was stunned to hear I had five kids and had never owned a pet. I told her, "Well, I was adamant that all my kids had to be potty trained before we got another animal." She laughed at that. She asked where we'd have Rolo sleep and where he'd be during the day. We said we'd get him a crate and put it in our living room, but ultimately, once he's potty trained, we want him to sleep with the kids. I told her we hoped he would be an indoor dog, but if he wanted to be outside more, he could be. She said Pomeranians are likely to be swept away by hawks and vultures so it's not a good idea for him to be outside. Yikes! Agreed! She asked us what we'd do if he had trouble potty training. I told her we'd ask others, look at other resources and keep trying. Animal abandonment is pretty common around here with college students, unfortunately. She told me how much regular medications (heartworm/flea and tick) are and other costs and wondered if we could manage that without it being a hardship. I said yes. Though I cringed a little inside when I did. Fortunately, little dogs eat very little. She seemed to like me enough. So hopefully we passed!
*JJ and another friend from Primary Activities getting a head start on signing the homemade Christmas cards we made to go with our gifts of warm fuzzy socks for the residents of the local rehab center.
*Jared and I had an ARD meeting (via zoom) to meet and see if Calvin was eligible for special education services based on the test results from the diagnostician and psychologist. The diagnostician had already called me a couple days before to go over their findings. She let me know that first of all, Calvin was a very polite, sweet young man to work with. He was very sweet. She said that of the six tests she ran, Calvin was above average on most of them. She found no learning disabilties within her scope of testing. The psychologist explained that he had given his teachers several different scales with subsets and rubrics and for the first time that he can ever remember in his career, the results all came back within the normal range. So yay. There's nothing indicating that Calvin has issues where he would need special services. However, the doctor had already called us a week before saying she finally got the ADD paperwork back from Calvin's other two teachers and does feel like Calvin might have some ADD tendencies. So we set an appointment to meet with her on Mon. 21st to talk about medication. Knowing what was coming with the pediatrician, I asked the admin and ARD team what to do to help Calvin after the holidays. The assistant principal said that with ADD, it would move to 504 accommodations. We debated about moving him from the advanced math class to the on-level class. His math teacher happened to be on the call with us. She said in her experience, if the student isn't going to do assignments in an advanced course, they likely won't on-level either. We could understand that. But if we can help him be successful without being overwhelmed or frustrated all the time...maybe that would encourage improvement. Then I thought maybe having him medicated in the advance math for the second semester would be a good "test" run too, to see how and what he does. So we left it at that. It was pretty quick and we certainly appreciated the team taking the time to meet with us and to take the time to assess Calvin.
Fri. 18th--I heard some music outside my room at work and popped my head out in the hall to see JJ and other students caroling around the school. There he is in front with one black shoe and one red shoe.
Singing "Jingle Bells" in the fourth-grade hall.
Sat. 19th--We passed our phone interview with the Pomeranian Rescue so the next step in Operation-Adopt-a-Dog was to meet Rolo in person. I had hoped we could do it Saturday sometime. Jared had to work, but all five kids would be there. The boys were leaving for a trip to Branson on Sunday, but if needed, I did let the coordinator know that Monday would be fine. Jared had to work then, too, but maybe we could FaceTime him in.
*The long-standing Christmas Chain favorite--Bo-Ho-Ho-ling! I grabbed pictures with each of the three "littles." Their bowling names are in parentheses. My bowling name is BME (Best Mom Ever).
JJ (aka Hades)
Karcyn (aka Pena--as in Michael Pena who rambles and talks really fast in the movie "Ant Man," a name given to her lovingly by her older brothers)
Calvin (aka Hobbes)
Sun. 20th--We decided to have Jake and Cooper go to Branson a few days before us, so they could have a Bro-Cation for a couple days just the two of them...our last Christmas with Cooper for a couple years. They left right after breakfast before we went to church. The weather was perfect for driving.
Mon. 21st--It was our day to pack up for our Christmas trip to Branson. Karole would be joining us. We had a condo reserved for eight at the Wilderness Lodge at Big Cedar. We were driving up on Tues. 22nd and staying the night in a hotel so we could check in to the condo on Wednesday and have all of Wednesday in Branson instead of using it to travel and then we'd drive home on Sat. the 26th. Because we were going to be gone through Christmas Eve and Christmas, I made an executive decision to NOT put up the Christmas tree. Mostly because Jake's birthday is the 27th and for his entire life, I have always kept his birthday separate from any remnants of Christmas. The Christmas decorations always come down on the 26th if not on the 25th, which happened one year when he was two. We did our Christmas celebration in the morning, had breakfast and played, then we put Jake down for a nap. During that time I packed up all evidence of the Christmas holiday. When he woke up from his nap, he was a little confused because the apartment had changed significantly in just a couple hours. Haha. Because Jake was with us this year, and because we'd be driving 10 hours home on the 26th and his birthday was on a Sunday, I knew I wouldn't be able to get the tree and decorations down in time. Hence--no tree. One BIG less thing to worry about. I spent most of Monday morning packing up the other decorations and holiday items.
But at 10:15, the three kids and I jumped in the car and headed to PetSmart. We had a date to meet little Rolo. As it turned out, Jared was only about a five-minute drive from there at his clinic and was able to sneak away for a half-hour so he could join us, which I was so grateful for!
We arrived at the same time as Julie, Rolo's foster. We found a little corner of the store for our introduction because the meeting area was already being used.
Rolo had no problem going to Karcyn. Sweet thing.
Jared loved him, too. Rolo is SO unbelievably soft. We had a nice visit and we're so grateful that Julie accommodated us to meet with him during this crazy time of year. Jared had to get back to work and as we wrapped it up, I asked Julie what we needed to do to adopt him. She said we would just need to fill out some paperwork and pay for him. She'd have the coordinator send that info to me. So there you have it! We were adopting a dog! No turning back now.
*That afternoon, Calvin and I went to see his pediatrician to talk about medication for ADD. Before we got there, I made sure Calvin knew his medication wouldn't be a magic pill. It wasn't going to make him all of a sudden get all his homework done. That was on him still. It would help him be more focused and perhaps his time in class would be used more effectively and he won't fall behind. The doctor was chummy with Calvin and said pretty much the same thing. But they had to do an EKG first to make sure his heart was okay before starting him on these meds. She came back in and said he has a heart! She has proof. ;) She also told me that sometimes kids lose their appetites so make sure he's eating. And to take it around 7am in the morning so when school starts around 8am, he'll be ready. She said that headaches are common side effects. And to just see how it goes. We decided to start his meds after we got back from Branson so that we didn't ruin his day/trip with new side effects.
*Later that night, our neighbors were using telescopes and cameras to see Saturn and Jupiter align in the sky. I joined them and could just make out the two brighter lights in the sky. But my friend, Tony showed me this picture below that his friend took. It's incredible! If you look close enough you can even see their moons! My friend, Lisa Mouton, posted this thought the day before. I love it so much.
I was also thinking about how Jupiter is known as the king planet, and Saturn was his father, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the father and the son are coming together to bring a Christmas Star to a weary world at the greatest point of darkness. #LightTheWorld
Tues. 22nd--And we're off for Branson! We got off early enough, but decided to stop by the newly opened Dunkin Donuts to try some donut holes. The line was horrendous. I actually jumped out of the car to go inside, while the rest of the fam continued through the drive-thru line. It was a race to see who could get through first. However, they were starting to move forward before me and I realized I hadn't brought my phone. We'd have no way of communicating who ordered first. So I ditched the inside line and jumped back in the car. That was right around the time Calvin was getting out to bring me my phone. I just stayed in the car at that point. It took about an extra 30 minutes but we weren't in a hurry.
These munchkins are pure nostalgia for me. My mom and I would occasionally swing by a Dunkin Donuts to purchase a box of donut holes to share at early morning seminary when I was a freshman in Marietta, GA. We actually didn't have the money for this extra treat, but my mom never said no.
Cooper and Jake enjoying a shake together.
Wed. 23rd--When I got up at 6:30am, this is what I saw. Karcyn already showered and reading the Book of Mormon.
*We checked in around 2:30pm and started unloading the cars. We had 5:30pm tickets to the Dolly Parton dinner show and would need to leave around 4:15. Jared and I didn't have time to go grocery shopping before leaving so we would have to do it afterward. No biggie. We had what we needed until then.
*I love this condo! The view from the front door.
*We drove to the big arena where the Dolly Parton Stampede is held and waited in line along the sidewalk by the horse stables. Sometime between that afternoon and early evening, a very stiff wind had started blowing and we were very cold waiting in line. Fortunately, the line moved fairly quickly.
This is the picture they took of us when we entered with the different "backdrops."
We purchased this one!
We were seated on the North side--front row!!!
They acted out the first Christmas Story from the book of Luke, using real animals.
There was one particular horseback rider named Adrianne (not this one) who was always right in front of us. Jake and Cooper took a special interest in her and cheered her on. Ha!
When we left the arena, Jared and I were going to take his car to the grocery store while the big boys would drive everyone else back to the condo. It's about 11 miles from Branson to Hollister where Big Cedar is--not too bad. I hate shopping at an unfamiliar store, so it took a little bit longer to pick up our few perishable items than I would have liked. After we got back to the condo and unloaded the groceries, we found Jake curled up in a fetal position on our bed with his hood over his face. We went to check on him and he said he felt awful. His head hurt and he had a horrible, barky cough. Oh no. Covid?! He is so careful and we had been careful with everything we had been doing even with our travels. I took his temperature with the thermometer and he was normal. This was a VERY quick onset. Like on the way home. We were at the store, maybe an hour. I looked at him straight on and noticed that his eyes were red and looked a little puffy. Like he might be having an allergic reaction maybe? And it hit me. Jake is allergic to horses! And we had had a front-row seat for two hours as they were flying past and flinging their horse stuff everywhere. In fact, the lady who seated us said that we were in their equivalent of the splash zone, and if we got debris in our food, they would replace it for us. I noticed Jake was wearing the same clothes he did at the arena. I told him to take them off and to jump in the shower to rinse off. Then Jared gave him some Zyrtec. After Jake was clean and got the medicine in him, he felt so much better he said. Phew!! That was a relief. Now he knows what it feels like to be around horses and hooray for it not being covid. That cough was awful though. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he did have coronavirus just based on the cough alone.
*Back at the condo, we enjoyed our candle-less "candle-lit spaghetti dinner" and then snuggled in for our somewhat free-flowing Christmas Eve program. Two boys on one side of me...
We actually had a really awesome Christmas Eve program considering. JJ told jokes, Karcyn recited a Studio C sketch from memory, Karole had made up an epic Christmas-themed song that afternoon with four verses to the tune of "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain," and we read the accounts of the Savior's birth in the Bible and Book of Mormon before eating our fruit and chocolate fondue.
Our Christmas gift to each other was being in Branson and the shows we had tickets to. The gifts under the table tree were from Grandma and Grandpa Lee, Grandma Hough, Aunt Kelly and Uncle Steve, Aunt Chris and Uncle Kevin and cousins.
JJ and his new Beyblade from Grandma and Grandpa. He was so excited because he doesn't have that one!
Calvin reading the card from Grandma and Grandpa.
Karcyn digging through the stocking from my parents.
And there it goes...the tablesaw blade over Cooper's neck!
Sun. 27th--HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY, JAKE!!
We got him a water bottle he had requested--to help him hydrate.
We got him one of the books in a new series he wanted to try..."Unwind."
We gave him his copy of his Mission Memories that were bound in a beautiful book. He helped edit it but this was the first time he saw the finished product.
He got a tie from my parents.
And he had a sleeping bag (another requested item for Utah fun) that was yet to come in the mail.
He asked for green chili burgers and Doritos for dinner and pistachio marble cake for dessert. It was a good day and we were so glad we could celebrate it with Jake!
You can see Cooper's yeti that he won in Branson on the couch by JJ's feet.
This picture was to show my parents the earrings they bought for me for Christmas. They are beautiful shell earrings made by the Pueblo Indians, descendants of the "Ancient Ones" (or the Anasazi Indians).
Mon. 28th--The day we had all been waiting for--going to pick up Rolo and bring him home. I was a little anxious, but everyone else was excited. I wasn't thrilled about getting a dog, let alone a puppy. But there are several members of our family who I was fairly certain would benefit from having an emotional support animal and that's worth it to me. We're so grateful Julie was willing to hold on to Rolo a week longer so we could go on our Christmas trip. We got him as soon as we could after we got back. We're also grateful we met her at PetSmart again because we still didn't have a crate or dog bowl or food or bed for him. Before meeting up with Julie, I wanted to get her some flowers to go with the card we all signed, thanking her and her family for giving Rolo a great beginning.
Once we found Julie in the store, it was a quick exchange. We greeted each other and then she kissed Rolo goodbye before handing him over to me and even let us keep the harness and leash she had him in. We gave Julie our flowers and card, thanked her very much for everything and she was off while Calvin and I started looking for puppy essentials. I thought it would be best if just one child came with me to get Rolo so we didn't overwhelm him. Plus, he can only be held by one person at a time anyway. It was Monday, which is Calvin's special day, so he was the lucky one to come.
Fortunately, there was a very nice associate at PetSmart who was willing to help us out when I said, we just got this puppy a few minutes ago and need this, this, this, and this. :) Fortunately, it didn't take long for us to get a wire crate, a little bed, a bag of food, and some treats.
Julie told us that while Rolo is crate trained (meaning he will sleep in the crate from 11pm to 7am and won't have an accident), Rolo is still working on the potty training during the day. So I was actually a little worried about him having an accident while we were walking around with him and in the car. But Julie had traveled with him to the store and back when we met him the week before and he was okay, so I was hopeful. The poor little thing was shaking in the car on the way home, but we expected that.
True to Karcyn form, she made a sign that said: Welcome Home, Rolo!
As soon as we got home though, we took him outside to go potty. This made me the most nervous--I've potty trained five kids, and I've heard dogs are easier, so I kept my fingers crossed. We had a string of bells we got (at my sister Kelly's suggestion) that we hung by the door and rang them every time we took him outside so he would associate the two together with the hopes that he would learn to ring the bells when he needed to go outside to potty. I was grateful we had another couple of weeks to work with him on the potty things before we all went back to work/school/Utah.
Everyone got their chance to meet and snuggle with the little guy.
I don't think he was put down all day, except to go potty.
Julie forgot to get a picture of us at the store after the exchange and asked if we would take a picture and send it to her They like to keep pictures of the adopted families who adopt their foster pets. As soon as Jared got home, Jake's buddy, Will, took the picture for us.
Rolo loved his little bed!
Tues. 29th--Cooper's turn for wisdom teeth removal! I got some good video footage of him on drugs. :) He did well--no complications, just sore for several days. His pain lasted a little longer than expected but the two bottom teeth were sideways so those sites were sore a little longer.
This is Rolo's favorite spot on the couch.
Thurs. 31st--2020 was the year of sickness, lockdowns, government overreach, race hysteria, riots, CHAZ, boarded-up cities, social-justice looting, and "white privilege." According to Fox News, 2020 was one of the most disturbing years in American history.
Maybe. But as we face a brand new year, I choose to do it with hope and optimism because I know and have always known that God is in charge. He sees the beginning from the end. And while I never would have wished for certain events from 2020 to take place, I do feel blessed to have witnessed and experienced an unprecedented year. My family struggled with so many difficulties and trials, weeks of exhaustion and frustration, and real heartbreaks. But there were also many days filled with remarkable blessings, moments of clarity, and much-needed revelation that I'm certain we would not have received without those specific struggles and circumstances. Because of that, I wouldn't trade 2020 for anything. God lives and loves all of His children everywhere. As we move forward through 2021, "we need to constantly remind ourselves that He is God and we are not (Jeffrey R. Holland) that He is the hope of His people.
*Rolo having fun with a chew toy at the foot of Cooper's blanket.
*I finally got a picture with Rolo!
One thing, Julie, Rolo's foster told us is that he doesn't like to be alone. So he would sleep in his crate in their room. The kennel we got is too big to put in our room, so we decided to put him in it in the living room and have the kids take turns sleeping on the couch so he won't be by himself. So far, it's worked. We'll see how it goes when we all go back to school.
Maybe. But as we face a brand new year, I choose to do it with hope and optimism because I know and have always known that God is in charge. He sees the beginning from the end. And while I never would have wished for certain events from 2020 to take place, I do feel blessed to have witnessed and experienced an unprecedented year. My family struggled with so many difficulties and trials, weeks of exhaustion and frustration, and real heartbreaks. But there were also many days filled with remarkable blessings, moments of clarity, and much-needed revelation that I'm certain we would not have received without those specific struggles and circumstances. Because of that, I wouldn't trade 2020 for anything. God lives and loves all of His children everywhere. As we move forward through 2021, "we need to constantly remind ourselves that He is God and we are not (Jeffrey R. Holland) that He is the hope of His people.
*New Year's Eve was no big deal, which is how I prefer it. Jared worked an extra 12 hour shift, the kids and I played some games and watched movies and snuggled with Rolo. After Jared got home, he and I were drifting asleep on our bed while the kids hung out til midnight. Jared and I barely made it to the kitchen to open our sparkling juice before the ball dropped! Rolo was not liking the fireworks going off around us, that's for sure. He has a loud, high pitched yip for such a small animal. Fortunately, we don't hear it much. When we let him out in the backyard to do his business, sometimes the BIG dogs behind us are out there. One of them is a pitbull mix. Rolo will go tearing back to the fence and pace it or run back and forth while the other dogs bark and freak out, but he stands his ground and doesn't bark back or show any fear. Thank goodness. I heard that Pomeranians have a bit of a Napoleon complex. :)
