President Hinckley Passes Away

George just called me from work to tell me that President Hinckely died last night. I was really surprised, I guess, thought I shouldn't be too surprised. He was 97! What an amazing life this man led. He will be greatly missed and always treasured in our hearts. What a genuine, spiritual man. I am sure that he is full of joy now, with his wife and other family gone before him. I have been reading (slowly) his biography...what a great experience it has been to learn more about this great man. There is also a great article on the church website today.

One of the most amazing things to me is that the church goes on functioning and the gospel doesn't change. What a blessing this is in our lives. Our prayers are with all those that are deeply affected by President Hinckley's passing.

Worst Dates Ever!

I saw this on Carrie's blog and thought it would be funny. George and I both wanted to contribute, so I am going to have Geo go first....it better not involve me!!!!!!

George: So back at Purdue, there was this girl in my Chinese class. I was fresh off my mission to Taiwan, and not to brag or anything, but I could speak some pretty good Chinese for a white guy. Actually I could speak better than this girl in my class who was born in America, to Taiwanese parents. So I had that going for me. Anyhow, one time she invited me to go see "Crouching Toddler, Stinking Diaper" or whatever that movie was called. That didn't pan out, but we did start going to see some movies and just generally hanging out. I thought things were going pretty well. Anyway, here comes the worst date part. We had rented a movie and went back to my apartment to watch it. The lights were down low, the mood was set, we were sitting together on my sofa. Timid as I was, having echewed all romantic for 2 whole years, I thought this might just be the moment. Yes, the time had come - I was going to try to hold her hand. So, with all the grace I could muster, I put my hand on hers and gave a gentle squeeze. Her reaction was to lift her hand up to about eye level, with mine still akwardly attached, and say "What is That?" I didn't have much of a response. It turns out we weren't dating after all, I guess.


Anna: I was asked to Prom by this greasy-haired fellow who rode my bus. I said yes because I really wanted to go to Prom (my Junior year) and wasn't really very popular so I didn't think I would get asked again. He was nasty, his friends were nasty and that's who we met for dinner. By the time we got to Prom, I was really sorry that I had said yes and I ditched him for my friends and met up with him about 4 hours later so I could get a ride home. He walked me to the porch and I KNEW he was going to try to kiss me. I believe we both said goodnight, he leaned in for the kiss and I actually ducked under his arm and ran inside, never looking back. I don't believe we ever made eye contact again...and I am sure he thought we were dating.


So, to sum it all up, George and I really were meant for each other!:)

Computer time?

I have a dilemma that is fairly new for me. My husband is a computer programmer and when he comes home, he likes to spend the evenings playing on the computer. For Christmas, he made Levi a computer game...which is pretty cool, by the way:). Anyway, my dilemma is how much time do I let the kids spend on the computer? Geo also installed a painting program that is perfect for the kids to do. So if Levi wants to play on the computer, so does Natalie (which works, because we have two computers).

Do your children play on the computer? My kids are 4 and 3. Do I really want to start computer time this young? Is this just how this upcoming generation will go? I would love to know what you all think!

PS I asked George about this and he said "It's just like giving them paper and paints and they are being creative, but not messy!" Who can argue with that kind of logic? But it is coming from the guy who wrote his first program in 3rd grade and his mom wrote a how-to book about Microsoft Word many years ago!

Good Days and Bad Days!

Does this happen to anyone else? Yesterday, I was tired and grumpy and that really rubbed off on the kids. By 2pm, it was really bad! I am amazed that the kids seem so sensitive to my moods...or perhaps its the other way around? Am I grumpy because they are?

Anyway, today was completely the opposite! I was really motivated to get the house clean and was happy that it was Friday (George home for the weekend and DATE NIGHT!) and the kids really reflected that mood. They were happy and SO helpful...even Natalie, which doesn't happen all that often. Well, Sam was in a bit of bad mood, but the vacuum cheered him up quite a bit:)

I guess what I am saying is that I am so thankful for the good days...I feel like a good mom and housewife. And I always feel great when my house is clean. It also helps me to forget about the bad days. :) And we could all use a bit of that!

It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To!

Sam's birthday was in December. This was the absolute typical 1st birthday. Sam, the birthday boy, refusing to eat anything..even cake and also refusing to open his presents from Grandma. He was so grumpy that I had to get lots of pics because the whole thing just made me laugh:) And Sam is my all-time happy, eat-anything child, too. It's just how birthdays go, right? But he loved those balloons!

Snow Shark

I didn't get pics of the first snowman, but we had quite a bit of snow on New Year's so this is what George and Brock and the kids made from the remains. Pretty cool, eh? This is SO George! I just love him:)