Happy Anniversary

Monday was mine and Todd's eighth anniversary.  We celebrated all weekend long.  Our good friends watched Jack and Hazel overnight Friday so we could have a get-away.  We ended up staying local and sleeping at home, but it was a gift in itself to sleep in until 8:45!  (Jack's been coming in our room about 6:15 every day since Daylight Savings Time ended.)

Friday night we went out for a couple's massage.  I was really looking forward to it, as my back has been hurting a lot lately and I've had two fabulous experiences with professional massages.  Unfortunately, this experience was not fabulous.  It's our own fault for trying to book an appointment last minute (the day before).  The only place that could get us in at the time we wanted was half price - and you get what you pay for.  At the end of the hour, I stood up and the first thing I said to Todd was, "My back still hurts."  He said his experience was pretty good, but that he never needs to go again.  Either Todd really, really doesn't care for back massages, or his guy wasn't that great, because when it's done right, you feel like you're made of butter for the next twelve hours.  It is heavenly! 

We went out for steak and were back home by 8:30.  We spent the night reading The False Prince aloud, munching on popcorn and feeling weird that the kids' bedroom was empty. 

As I said, we slept in the next morning.  Then we grabbed some fresh bagel sandwiches for breakfast and drove up to Oakland to do sealings in the temple.  Afterward, we snagged the kids.  They had nap/quiet time, and it was over to a friends' house for dinner.

 Sunday I taught about temple marriage (coincidentally enough) to the 12- and 13-year olds at church.  Preparing that lesson throughout the week beforehand, along with our anniversary coming up anyway, gave me a lot of time to reflect on the gift Todd and I have been given to be sealed together, and what our temple covenants have done to bless our marriage.  I am grateful for the long-term perspective we have of being together for eternity, and for the respectful and joyful way we treat each other because we know our relationship is a forever one.

I'm overwhelmingly thankful to be married to a man so courteous, so hard-working, so fun-loving, and so darn good looking. 

Hazel Achieved a Big Goal

 Hazel responds very well to rewards and sticker charts, so a couple of months ago, we whipped one up to help her stop sucking her thumb.  She has been busting her tail trying to kick her bad habit and has been very on-board with the whole process.  This weekend, she placed her final sticker on the chart and earned her grand finale reward.  We are very proud of her!  (This doesn't mean she never sucks her thumb, though, just that her chart is full, so don't judge if you see it pop in.  We still let her suck her thumb when she's in bed, and she has a hard time keeping it out when she's stressed or really tired.) 

If she lasted from morning to lunch without sucking her thumb, she could put a sticker on the chart.  If she lasted from lunch to bedtime, she earned another sticker.  Each time she completed a row of 10, she got a treat of her choice (a sucker or M&Ms).  And once the chart was full, we could go to the bakery at the grocery store and order a fancy cake.  This was a big deal to her, because she's long admired the cakes on display and always wants to look at them when we shop there.  (They have princess cakes, Tinkerbell, SpongeBob, Dora, etc. all in a display case and a book full of other options to glance through, too.) 

So on Friday we went to Lucky's and placed our order.  She turned page after page in the book until she came to the super-pink Barbie cake, and then was very definite that that was the one she wanted.  It was a very loooong, hard wait til Monday when the cake was ready to be picked up. 

We got it at lunchtime on Monday.  Everyone at the store asked if it was her birthday, and Hazel very proudly explained that it was for not sucking her thumb, and that she filled up her entire sticker chart, and that we were going to have cake for Family Home Evening treat!!!  Then she spent the whole afternoon admiring the cake and counting down the hours.  She gave me an enormous hug and when I kissed her on the cheek, she turned my face toward hers, straight on, and gave me a loooooong smooch on the lips!  Then she said, "I am in love with you, Mommy.  I want to marry you."  She was that happy! 

We had some friends over to share the cake with us Monday night, and when that didn't finish off even half of the cake, I decided to take it to the park the next day.  The moms with young children in my church congregation meet at a different area park every Tuesday morning, and today just happened to be the park next to us, so it was super easy to bring the cake over and tell everyone to eat up!  They finished it off, but the best part was all the additional acknowledgment Hazel received for her hard work.  She was bursting with pride from all the attention, and I'm hoping that'll hold her over and help her stick to her guns now that the reward chart is full. 

Weeklong Halloween Festivities

It didn't matter that Halloween landed on Sunday this year and we didn't go trick-or-treating last night. Hazel got plenty of bang for her buck all week long already.

She painted a pumpkin.
And sported her "uffly" costume for days. (It's a fairy costume that I found for five bucks at a fund raiser, but she's convinced it's a butterfly wearing a dress. It's all good.)
We went trick-or-treating Tuesday morning at a moms and tots activity held at an outdoor shopping mall in San Jose. Hazel spent literally every waking moment of the rest of the day sorting her candy.
Most of the rest of the week has been candy-sorting as well, and as you may notice from the remainder of the photos, she firmly held on to a sucker bouquet no matter what else she was doing. The pumpkin basket has gone with us pretty much everywhere, as well.
And we went to our church's Halloween party, where Hazel ate great food, played fun games, and scored more candy during a trunk-or-treat.
We ditched the uffly costume so we could do a family theme, and went as bunny rabbits. It was supposed to be funny because I'm pregnant, but I don't think it really worked all that well since our litter is still so small.
But the tails sure were a hit! (Yes, Todd and I had them, too. I wish I had asked someone to take a group shot of them.)

President Hinkley Passed Away Last Night

Just before we went to sleep last night, Todd showed me an article online announcing the death of the Prophet Gordon B. Hinkley, the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He passed away last night at 7:00 (MST).


I am experiencing a wide mix of emotions. President Hinkley had been the President of the Church since I was thirteen years old - basically since I've been old enough to remember listening to a prophet speak. He has been dear to my heart. I've written several entries in my journal about how he has impacted my life through his teachings and example.

I was just out of high school when I received a solid witness for myself that Gordon B. Hinkley was God's prophet on the earth today. I attended a meeting for the youth of the Church at the new Conference Center, and President Hinkley gave a talk on the six B's to live by:

Be Grateful
Be Smart
Be Clean
Be True
Be Humble
Be Prayerful


Before the meeting started, I was in my seat. I don't remember what I was doing. There was probably prelude music playing, but I'm not sure. What I do remember is that suddenly it felt different in the room. The air was charged with the Spirit of God - my skin tingled. I looked up toward the stage, and President Hinkley was just walking in then, through a door on the side. There had not been any announcement. No one said anything. It just felt different when he entered, and it was unmistakable.

As people started to notice he had come in, they stood up for him. Soon every one of the thousands of people in the Conference Center were standing to show their love and respect for President Hinkley. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. My chest was burning with the Spirit, testifying to me that President Hinkley was the living prophet. I felt an incredible sense of love and loyalty towards him that just engulfed me. I felt so honored to be in the same room as him.

We sang, "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet," and every word was true as it came from my voice:

We thank thee, O God, for a Prophet,
To guide us in these latter days;
We thank thee for sending the Gospel
To lighten our minds with its rays;
We thank thee for every blessing
Bestowed by thy bounteous hand;
We feel it a pleasure to serve thee,
And love to obey thy commands.
-William Fowler

I am so grateful for President Hinkley, his example and teachings, his service and love.