Spring TIme in DC

Everything is blooming and beautiful. We are being kept very busy helping the Elders.  We help 2 sets and sometime 3 sets of ELders so we take appointments first come first serve.  The people here are very receptive to hear the gospel and the mission goal is 380 baptisms for this year.  We already have 127.  I met Sister Lawrence (from Chandler, Ron's and Jill's ward) at District meeting.  She has been out about 1 week and this is her first assignment.  She will work part-time at the Visitor's Center.  Her companion is Sister Chan from Hong Kong, who is very special and sooo cute. We went on an appointment with Sister Chan and her previous companion and she is very good.  We also inspect their apartment once a transfer.  Tell her parents she is so excited and doing well.

Corban's Birthday

Saturday was a fun family day. We went down to USM to swim for Corban's bday, the big 3. I stayed on the deck of the pool with Abigail. And the kids and Cody did some laps, kick boards, high dives. After a while Cody had to leave for a work appointment, but the kids were having so much fun, it was an indoor pool with barely anyone else swimming, and 2 life guards. We should be fine, right? And we were, until... well, it all began when Corban had to go #2. He never has false alarms with those, but after I managed to one handedly get him out of his wet swim suit and swimmer diaper (Abigail in other arm) a false alarm is exactly what it was. Weird. So we re-dress, leaving the suit off this time, and head back to the pool. Then a little while later Annali has to pee, and Corban says he does too, so the 4 of us head to the bathroom, but Abigail is going hystarical, and Annali's hair is caught in her swimsuit tie that goes around her neck, and I can't get it off, so I tell her just to go back to the pool and pee in there. Sorry, I know, grossness, but you know you've all done it before! She asks me if I'm sure. Yes, I'm sure. Well Corban thinks that is the coolest thing ever, and he wants to go pee in the pool too. Ok, fine, whatever. So he takes off, Abigail and I trailing slightly behind, and he procedes to the edge of the pool, pulls his swimmer diaper down the required amount and takes aim at the water! "No, Corban!" I yell as I try to drag him away with one arm back to the bathroom. He shakes me off running back with an insistent, "But I want to pee in the pool!" I know the lifeguards and other swimmers, all a bunch of college kids, are watching this whole drama unfold, but I refuse to make eye contact. Let them think what they will, that I'm some sad, pathetic mother in way over her head. And in some ways its true, but not this time! I've known my boy 3 years + 9 months, and how to win him over. A three M&M bribe is all it takes to get Corban back in the bathroom with me... and then it IS time to go home.

Kids in Maricopa

We have some updates too. Samuel is walking about 10 steps at a time, has 8 teeth now and he is showing more personality every day. He loves peek aboo on the swing. He just laughs and laughs. If you are putting your attention into something and he is near, Samuel will lean in front and peear at you with a grin till you look at him. Ethan likes kidding around. He says he is going to check to see if his feet are clean and then he will go pee in the toilet. I took Ethan on a date to a reception at the church. I had been explaining how important it is to get married in the temple and how families can be together forever. Ethan said he would marry me in the temple and I would try to explain that he would need to take someone else because I was married to Daddy. But when we saw the couple dancing their first dance and Ethan looked at me with the cutest smile and said, "I want to marry you like that," I said OK. Another thing he said when we driving to the library (looking at another lds church) went like this... Why are there so many churches? Is it so that if that one explodes up those people can go to our church? (pause of realizations) What if our church explodes up!?!

Taken with my phone, so these aren't the best, but so you can see how Abigail's growing...

I LOVE having a baby! Sometimes I feel she is my only link to sanity. She loves me and smiles up at me like I'm her world while all the others complain about school work, or piano practice, or no ice cream for breakfast. But they are sweeties too. Here is Corban creatively making a birthday cake out of his sandwich and carrots that he didn't feel like eating, and singing "Happy Birthday". Unbeknownst to us at that moment, Abigail was to be born later that day. Maybe Corban knew something we didn't.And here is a one of my favorite things to watch, Chandler being a wonderful big bro. I just feel so blessed to be a mother, even as I walk around drenched in spit-up, and wondering how long it will be before I can have a cookie that won't upset my girl.

Thanks for the confed $, G & G. The kids were really excited about the quarters they got in the mail today too. Corban was so excited to get his birthday card and walked around with it unopened for a long time before the kids convinced him to open it. He was very excited about the $ too. And a big thanks to Jenny for her recomendation on a "butter" I can eat. As for the chickens, Holly, the reason we must have so many is because if you order chicks online, they must come in groups of at least 25 to keep each other warm while they are shipped... and we already had a bunch before that. Cody wanted to start an egg selling business for the kiddos. And here they are:

White Wing, the biggy roosting in the back, is our sole rooster, and he keeps all the girls fertile, the bully. The youngest just started laying and we get over 2 dozen eggs a day.

Had a fun FHE last night. We talked about making decisions ahead of time, and putting them down as commitments in our journal. We are all praying about our decisions this week, and will write the ones we choose down next week, and will hopefully add to our own lists throughout our lives, and continue to pray to keep those commitments. Chandler had the activity, and set up a war game, outfitting every family member in his super hero outfits complete with weapons. Annali made puppy chow for dessert.

Here's Corban helping with the endless mountain of laundry. Love you all& hope you enjoyed conference n fiddler on the roof.

Gettiesburg

On March 26,2011, all the senior couples took a trip up to Gettiesburg.  It was a fun experience and our eyes were opened to the wonderful history of this country.  Lots of people gave their lives for what they believed in both North and South.  We purchased some Confederate money to give to our Mississippi grandkids.

Helamans Stripling Warriors

We went to the temple on Wednesday morning.  Once a transfer all the Elders in the Zone go to the temple together.  The whole room was filled with Elders that we have come to love.  We felt like Helaman must have felt about his 2000 Stripling Warriors.  What a great experience.

PS - after 2 weeks on my knee skooter I am now walking with the aid of an ankle brace.  Yeah!!!

Humbled

On Tuesday we went with the French Elders to visit Bridget.  She told us that she had seen the Elders on the street some time ago and had been praying to God to send them to her again so they could teach her.  When she saw the Elders in her complex she went up to them and asked them to visit.  They quickly made an appointment with the French Elders.  She is from Cameroon and speaks French and quite good English.  She has been in the US for about 8 years.  She left her 3 children behind in Africa, the youngest being only 2 years old at the time.  She sends money back to them when she can but it is hard because she doesn't have a steady job.  We run into that same story time and again.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to leave your children not knowing when or if you would ever see them again.  But she knows that is the only way for them to survive.  She told us that her mother had taught her about God and to have faith in Jesus Christ.  When they didn't have enough to eat her mother would tell them not to complain but eat what little food they had and God would make their stomachs feel full.

We taught her about the Restoration, the Book of Mormon and that prophets are once again upon the earth today.  She accepted and believed everything we taught her.  The Spirit was so very strong.  When she offered the closing prayer she thanked God for sending prophets to her home.  We were very humbled and quickly clarified.  It was a wonderful experience.