Charlie's Blessing

This is a post to celebrate Charlie's special blessing day. September 7, Adam blessed Charlie at our sacrament meeting. I am so grateful that Adam holds the priesthood and can bless our family when we need help and perform these important ordinances. Adam gave Charlie his name Charliue Paul Evans. His middle name, Paul is named after both Adam and my Grandpas who have passed away- we figured that would be a good way to honor them both. Adam then blessed Charlie with health and was told he would be a support to his family. Charlie was promised that if he actively seeks out righteous things, he will be blessed greatly. As my sister Laura said, this is not only true for Charlie, but true for everyone. As we seek righteousness, our lives will become more meaningful. Charlie has brought more meaning into our family and my life. He is so special and has started rewarding us with smiles this month. I love it! He coos and smiles when we smile, but if we make a sad face or pretend to cry, he starts bawling. I guess he's pretty sensitive... I think that will make some girl very happy someday. Charlie was also blessed that he will marry a beautiful girl- I think that means both inside and out. I'll have to remember this to tell my daughter-in-law someday. Whoa.. that was a weird thought. I rarely can see what life will be like beyond this week, much less 20+ years in the future- kind of fun :).

All smiles!!

Creativity and Elder Ukdorf

"Those who bring sunshine to others cannot keep it from themselves." Peter Pan

On Friday I painted my sister Lauras table and chairs multi-colored (like at Cafe Rio). It was so fun and I think they look pretty good if I do say so myself. On saturday, I spent the whole day in the kitchen attempting to can peaches and jam. Seriously, it took all day he;lping keep Jack entertained with playdough and artwork while I peeled the peaches and then to clean up a sticky gooey room splattered in peachy goo and then to clean up the play dough and art supplies.When it was all over I had converted my $20 box of tree-ripened peaches to 3 pints of freezer jam, 9 quarts of peaches and 2 quarts of what my mom calls spicy peach butter... I was sweaty and sticky and thinking to myself, "Self, why did you just spend all that time and effort doing that? Couldn't you have just bought peach jam at the store for $20 and saved the hastle?" I'd like to say that I just really like knowing exactly what's in my food, but I would prefer not to know my jam has 5 cups of sugar and some strange chemical called pectin, seriously, what is pectin? The truth is that I like feeling productive and I like creating things.

At Women's Conference on Saturday night, President Ukdorf said that the desire to create is a deep yurning that we all have, especially sisters. He said that this is because we are daughters of an endlessly ceative and imaginative God. Creation means bringing to existence something that wasn't there before. As a mother, I helped create my children and I can be creative as I teach them. Sometimes I just look at Jack's little boyish body and am so amazed that it grew inside of me and that I "made" him. Besides obvious stuff like paintings, watches, or Cafe Rio furniture, I can create gardens, laughter, and special memories for my family.

President Ukdorf also talked about how serving others makes us stronger and helps us overcome our grief. As a new Mommy, I get frustrated sometimes. If I spend too much time at home, I get ancy, like cabin fever and don't feel productive, but if I don't spend time at home, I feel guilty. I feel like I'm so absorbed in my immediate familys needs that I can't see beyond my home and miss how I fit into the big picture. Pre. Ukdorf said that as we serve, we will discover our own happiness and as we sacrifice, it opens windows for us to receive blessings an that as we lift others, we ourselves, will rise higher. I know this is true and experienced it this week. I accepted two assignments to cook food for muual and decorate a cake for cub scouts and those two assignments seemed to give my week mor meaning. Pres. Ukdorf promised us that as we notice loneliness and despair, we can be instruments in God's hands to answer prayers and as we immerse ourselves in service, our lifes will be more meaningful and happier and that God will encircle us in the arms of His love. I want to do this. I want to be available to help others and reach out.

New game: Name That Squash!

OK friends (and Mom) who are more domestic than me, I need some help figuring out what is this rogue squash that I let grow on its own. It has funky leaves that are different from a pumpkins. They started out yellow and smooth and then got bright orange and hard. When we tried to open a bright orange one up, it about broke the knife and was very green inside. Its seeds look kind of like pumpkin seeds. The skin seemed kind of soft at first but now it's kind of difficult to stick your fingernail in, but not hard as a rock like a gord...

Also, once we figure it out, if anyone has any squash receipes or ways to cook it. All I know how to do is bake it with butter and salt and pepper.

That's one mean squash...The Prize: whoever can name this squash may have their very own squash or squash cake or whatever I figure out how to make. :)

Birthday Fun!

September is a great month for birthdays! Jack's was on the 14th and he is 3 now! For the past month he's been telling everyone he was going to be 10. If it only worked that way- but actually not really, I would hate for him to skip to 10 and miss out on all these fun times. He is so sweet right now and constantly saying the funniest things. We went to Build-a-Bear for his birthday and he was in heaven. He was so cute kissing his little heart and rubbing it on his forehead before placing it in the bear. Everything is magical to him right now- which is just as it should be right? Of course we had to get the tool belt for him and Jack named his bear Bob the Builder Bear... :)

Charlie fits into the Build-a-Bear clothes

For his birthday, Jack got a sandbox, a tool bench, a Handy Manny doll, a Cars tent, a transformer, and some size 3T clothes which were promptly tossed aside after un-wrapping.. He is 3 afterall. Many Thanks to his Grandmas and Grandpas for making it such a special week. In between being sick , he was able to celebrate with the Wades in Wyoming, the Bradburys at the Spagetti factory, the Evans in West Jordon and he also had a little friends party at the park by our house. We had a soccerball pinata and the kids decorated cupcakes. It was very fun and Jack had a great time.

It was Becky's birthday on the 20th and we celebrated by going up to our Midway cabin, taking pictures in the leaves and eating sugar free birthday cake! Becky had an ipod birthday and has been trying to get her new nano up and working and loaded with all her good music. She also got a new Nike sensor so she can track all her running workouts. Yeah for more motivation...

Embarrasing sidenote: On my birthday we went to the Desert Star playhouse with my sister Laura and her roomate. We saw Scary Poppins which was appropriate because that's one of the few musicals I don't like. After the show, the introduce people celebrating birthdays and anniversarys. Since we were on the front row, the man were talking to us and said Hi to Adam and then asked Laura what she got her MOM for her birthday. She just said, ummm, and I said, "Uh, SISTER!" He said, "Oh shoot, it must be your glasses, they make you look older... um I mean, How do you recover from that?" Some guy in the back shouted out "Free Tickets!" So I guess this is becoming a tradition that someone will make me feel really old on my birthday. Last year, my girlfriends took me to a restaurant for a girls night out. They were harrassing the waitor and asked him who in the group looked oldest and who looked youngest and he picked me for oldest!! Sad, but I guess you're supposed to feel old on your birthday?

And now that birthdays are over, it's almost a little sad. Jack keeps asking when it's going to be his birthday again and we tell him not for a long long time, but he is still excited for Aunt Laura's birthday next month and then Daddys, etc.