Sunday, December 28, 2008

Christmas was unbelievable. We got 10 inches of snow. We could not leave our home unless there were chains on our cars. There were big beautiful snowflakes falling from the sky as we opened our presents. Tim got a Christmas village; I got a forschner knife and a beautiful temple picture. Jacinda got slippers, the elefun game, and other goodies. McCabe got a ton of cars and trucks.

It is our family tradition to feed breakfast to the missionaries in our zone Christmas morning. We had juice, cinnamon rolls, bacon, and hash browns. Again we had 6 missionaries. This bunch was a bit more reserved than last year’s guys. Nevertheless, we still had a good time and they were extremely appreciative.

Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention that I went to midnight mass with my friend Denise Nippert. I have always wanted to go and have the experience. It was really neat to see the similarities between Catholicism and the Latter Day Saint religion. I noticed a lot of overlapping beliefs but different methods of presentation (i.e. the sacrament, reciting prayers, talking and rejoicing in Christ). It was a nice experience and fun to be with a friend and not worry about kids (Tim was home watching over them).

Today was a hard day. Tim leaves early for church so I am left with the kids. I have to get them ready, feed them, and pack the diaper/activity bag. We made it to church on time, but McCabe was tired. He was a little fussy sitting in the pew. He entertained himself by throwing toy cars at the people in front of us. I quickly put an end to that activity. So he decides on doing something different like dumping out the crayons and putting the Tupperware container on his head and burst into song. By this time, our row was a mess and sacrament meeting was running over. I got him back to normal and kept him quiet for a little while. I thought he was resting on the floor. Next thing I know he had broken free and tried to run up to Tim who was on the stand. Other members tried to stop him which caused him to run in the other direction. I was mortified, my son was running around the chapel during sacrament meeting and I was trying to chase him. I finally caught him and then he lets out a big scream. I quickly took him out into the hall. I had been in the hall no more than 60 seconds when the choir went up to sing. Over the pulpit I heard the choir director ask if someone would watch McCabe so I could come back and sing with them. Tim showed up and I walked into the front of the room with about 400 eyes staring at me. I was really embarrassed, but I felt somewhat re-assured that other parents have had similar occurrences.

After sacrament meeting I dumped McCabe in Nursery. I wad so tired and I didn’t care if he cried the whole time in there. He did good. It is official, McCabe can attend nursery without crying.

I gave the lesson today in Relief Society. It was on Elder Bednar’s talk entitled “Pray Always.” There were a lot of good messages and reminders in his talk. Sometimes I feel like someone else would do a better job giving the discussion since I am not always perfect in what I am presenting. I guess that is why I encourage class participation so I can learn from others.

I am soooooo excited for 2009. In fact I was anticipating it since Dec. 31, 2007 the day I was diagnosed with cancer. This past year was really rough as you all know. I still have pain in my chest (underneath my sternum) which scares me, since the majority of the cancer grew there. I also have a little pressure at the base of my throat. I wonder if my scar tissue is growing. Jan 12th I see the oncologist and have a chest x-ray. The results should be good and show that I am still cancer free. I just want to obtain some of my goals with the least amount of pain possible. I guess I need to re-read proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”