Happy Birthday, Graci!

Gracelin Kate Green
Wang Chun Ling
Graci
Ling Ling
Tiger
Blackbird
Grace
Graci Kate
Rainbow Sunshine Girl #1 (can you guess who’s #2?)
The Gracester

All fitting names for our darling TWELVE YEAR OLD! Graci is spending her 12th birthday at Young Women’s Camp—how fun is that? You have to be 12 to attend, so she barely made it. We sent her off early yesterday morning and she was bouncing-off-the-walls-excited! I will be heading to camp later today, and I absolutely cannot wait to give her birthday present…

Graci has come SUCH A LONG WAY in the last 2 ½ years. I am reposting the video of her "coming home” for anyone that has 20 minutes of free time (sorry it’s so long!)



Our Graci has been an example of courage and grace as she has endured adjusting to a new family, friends, culture, and language all while undergoing two major open heart surgeries and several smaller surgeries. She is a pillar of strength. We love and admire her. I am particularly grateful for the attention she showers upon her sisters. Jesi totally fell apart when Grace left for camp—they are two peas in a pod.


Graci had an early birthday present on Monday evening, when Make-a-Wish gave her a “sendoff party” for her Disney Cruise. We had her wish granters and lots of friends over at our house for a barbeque. Graci LOVED all the attention and was so excited when the doorbell rang and she found “Belle’s best friends” standing there! We didn’t know that was going to happen, so we were surprised as well!






The best part of the evening came when Make-a-Wish made a special presentation. First, they gave our family a very LARGE check for expenses we might incur on the cruise. This includes everything from money to park at the airport to spending money for fun excursions. We are overwhelmed by their generosity. I wish I could thank everyone personally who has ever donated to MaW and let you see the joy it has brought our daughter.

Kent then talked to Graci about the day that she made her wish. He asked her if she remembered some of the wishes that her family members had for her. Xander’s wish for her was a “poofy dress.” This was Graci’s very first wish when she heard that she was granted a wish—but we had told her that she could think even bigger. Graci ADORES poofy dresses—in fact, during the first year in our home she would dress up in one of my old (and not so pretty) dresses almost every day. So imagine how thrilled she was when Kent told her that he had searched for the perfect poofy dress for Graci to wear on the cruise! She had no idea it was coming. Her smile says it all… She told everyone that she had wished on a star for a poofy dress. (:





As we walked inside to try the dress on, Graci confided in me that she had been praying every day for a poofy dress for the cruise. She was in tears. (Of joy!) We are so overcome with the way Make-a-Wish has made Graci feel like a real princess. We can’t wait to get her all fixed up and have some professional photos taken… It was also so cute that Jesi, on her own, also went inside and came out with her own "princess dress" on. (:




We had birthday cake for both Graci and Jessica (their b-days are two days apart). We’ll have their party later, but thought it was fun to at least do their cake that night.




Graci, you are one very special girl. We know our Heavenly Father loves you beyond our comprehension, and He has evidenced that today by sending you a very special birthday gift. We can’t wait to tell you about it!

And, as soon as we tell Graci, we’ll let you all in on it…

Teri, you had better take your blood pressure medication today. (:

--Christianne

If Tomorrow Never Comes

Yesterday we arrived home from a wonderful vacation/family reunion at the Oregon coast. It was one of the best vacations we've ever had. It's fun to see our little family get bigger and bigger and more and more fun. In the next few days we'll blog about some of the adventures we had, but today I needed to blog about my little sister, Tiffany.

Tiffany with Jessica

On June 6, 2004, my sweet sister Tiffany lost her life in a car accident. She was 22 years old. (You can link to an article about her death in the BYU college newspaper here.)

At Tiff's funeral

She was single, beautiful and had a sparkling personality. We like to think that she is in Heaven with our little Jacob and Emily, “babysitting” them until we can meet them someday☺. The car accident occurred on I-84 East, just north of the Utah-Idaho border. When we drive from Oregon to Utah, we always try to stop and say hi. Sometimes we leave flowers.

Yesterday as we were driving, we were listening to a random mix of songs that help keep the kids happy. Right as we stopped at Tiffany’s spot, the Stephen Curtis Chapman song, Cinderella, came on. What an appropriate song to commemorate my sweet little sister. We sat in silence and listened to the entire song. When it ended, I was just about to get out of the car and leave flowers, when the next song came on: “Party in the USA,” by Miley Cyrus. I had to crack up. I almost looked around for Tiff, knowing she had a hand in that song playing right then. Although she never heard it in this life, it’s a song I’m sure she would have loved. It is just so her!

I miss you, Tiff!





A couple of days after 9/11, Tiffany emailed her family members. I’d like to share a portion of that email, which means a lot to me:

-----Original Message-----
From: "**Tiffany Rose**"
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 5:10 PM
To: Jeremy M Green
Subject: Fwd: Recent Remarks from Pres. Hinckley


Hey guys,

With life ending so quickly for thousands in NY this week, I've found myself trying to live each day as if my tomorrow will never come. I realize it's not as easy as it seems--I'm still making mistakes. However, I begin each day with new goals and resolutions in mind that will make me a better person. It's rather sad that it takes an incident as terrifying as this to make us, or at least me, appreciate life and all my blessings to the fullest.

This past year, I've taken a number of flights to California. With this in mind, the past few days I've tried to imagine what it would be like if suddenly one of my flights had been hijacked. What would I have said if I was given the chance to make one last phone call to the people I love? Well, I'm not on a plane right now facing death. I'm at work...doing nothing.:) Regardless, I thought I'd take this opportunity to tell you all how much I love you. I don't know if my tomorrow will come, so I've decided to take Garth Brook's advice and "tell that someone that you love, just what you're thinking of...if tomorrow never comes."

I realize that sometimes I get caught up in my busy schedule of three jobs--it's hard for me to break away from my familiar routine. However, don't ever think I've forgotten about any of you. I know you're there and appreciate the little things you do. Take mom for example, who's willing to stay up at any hour to help her children out. Such as hem a skirt for me, review my resume, or iron an outfit I need in ten minutes. When I come home at midnight, after working two jobs in one day, I'll find yogurt coupons or my vitamins on my dresser. Seeing these in my room brings a huge smile to my face. Little acts of kindness from mom let me know just how much she loves me.

And then there's dad, who's been working such long hours lately. He's always there to answer my questions regarding "adult matters.” Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all the "stuff" I'm suddenly supposed to know about credit cards, insurance, and cars. Dad is always there with the answers. Quoting from our favorite family movie, (It's a Wonderful Life), "Ask Dad...He Knows."

My point is, I appreciate and love all of you. I can't picture our family without any of us in it. I'm looking forward to this Christmas when we'll all be together. I love hanging out and laughing our heads off. I love recalling old memories with each other.

I am thankful for all of you. I am thankful each of us is alive and well.

I love you,

Tiffany Rose


Thanks, Tiff, for your thoughtfulness. Thanks for your reminder that we never know if our tomorrow will come. I will try to be more mindful of letting my loved ones know just how much I appreciate them.

Jer

Elli Travels Well!

Every summer we try to get together with my extended family for a reunion. For many years we did this at a beach house on the Oregon coast. We drove up from Spanish Fork when we lived there. Once we moved to Tennessee, we flew out each summer. My parents and some of my siblings would come with us each year. Our kids love it and look forward to it. The last couple of years we haven’t been to the coast, and they have missed it. This summer we made plans to drive up to Lincoln City, Oregon. The kids have been extremely excited. Graci and Xander have never been to an ocean before.

The drive from Utah to Oregon is about 13 hours. We decided that in conjunction with this trip, we could also get some deep cleaning done at our home. I would drive the kids up by myself, and Christi would fly up two days later. In the meantime, she would stay at home and clean, clean, CLEAN! So that’s what we did. I drove up with the kids, stayed one day in Boise, ID with my best friend growing up, and then met Christi in Oregon about 48 hours after I left her.

The kids and I actually had a great trip. We prayed that Elli would be particularly happy as we drove. Usually she has a difficult time when Christi isn’t around. She also sleeps in her own room wherever we go. The two nights we spent with Mikkel and his family, Elli wasn’t able to have her own room. Instead, they put a mattress next to the air mattress I was sleeping on. This was in the living room. I was quite nervous that Elli would get up and wander and pull things down, etc. Instead, prayers were answered and Elli was a little angel during the entire trip. She was quiet and happy during the drive. When I put her to bed, she stayed on her mattress until she fell asleep. And she slept soundly through the night (with one small exception).

So prayers were answered and tender mercies were bestowed. We are having a great trip and are still here in Lincoln City. We’ll be home soon and will post with pictures!

Jer

A Caring Sister

Today Xander came up to me and asked if he could have some chips. I said, "not now, honey," and he walked away with a pouty face. Jessica followed him out the door and I overheard her lovingly explain, "Xander, if you don't ask Mom, then she won't say no. Next time, just eat the chips without asking. That's what I did."

Thanks, Jes.

(:

3 Minutes Too Soon

What can you do in 3 minutes? Make a 3 minute egg? Play a game of Boggle? Prevent disease and pestilence (or at least an upset stomach)…

Every year our church has a “Fathers and Sons” campout. It’s a great opportunity for dads and their boys to bond. The fathers and sons campout is something that Taylor and Parker look forward to with tremendous anticipation every year. Our last camp out was a great disappointment. You see, we didn’t heed the “smoke signals” that indicated the trip was destined for disaster. By smoke signals, I mean the huge plumes of smoke from the forest fire. The one that was consuming much of the woods at the base of the canyon we were entering to reach our campground. We traveled 15 miles past the mouth of the canyon before we got to the campground. By that time, we couldn’t see or smell the fire or smoke, so we thought we were in the clear. That evening, while playing in the lake with Taylor and Parker, I threw my back out and could not stand up straight. I looked like an 80-year-old man as I hobbled around getting dinner for the boys. About 12:30 AM, the forest rangers came and kicked us all out. Not only that, but we couldn’t go back DOWN the canyon. Instead, we had to go up over the mountain pass and go back home via a circuitous, 3-hour route. As I tried to pack up camp in the dark with a bad back, the boys had two different reactions: Taylor could NOT wake up and Parker went into hysterics, thinking we were all going to die. We did not die. We did not get home until about 4:00 am. We scared the tar out of Christi, who was not expecting someone to enter her home in the wee hours of the morning. But we all survived. Needless to say, Taylor and Parker have been looking forward with great anticipation to the next fathers and sons camp out!

That day finally came this past weekend. The location was the same as last time: Blackhawk Campground near Payson Lakes. Unbelievably beautiful location. This year, I decided to add a facet to the trip. We bought a canoe several years ago for 75 bucks at a yard sale. We haven’t used it since we got our new van, which doesn’t have a trailer hitch, about three years ago. I’ve always been nervous to put the canoe on the roof rack, but this year I decided to give it a try. It worked great! As we were preparing this year, it didn’t even dawn on me until the day before that I now have THREE kids who qualify as sons! So off we went to the fathers and sons camp out: Taylor, Parker, Xander and me. (I must put in here a HUGE thanks to sweet Christianne, who somehow always ends up spending a few extra hours helping to ensure that we have enough food, flashlights, sunscreen, clothes, etc. when we go. I’m sure we would always have the tent with us even if she didn’t help, but we might not have much else!)






(Beware the black cow in the road! There were several in the canyon: Love you, Tiff.)

That night we got there and set up camp, listened to a great devotional, had hot dogs and s’mores cooked on a campfire, looked at the constellations and generally enjoyed each others company. Unfortunately, we had picked a very lumpy patch of ground to pitch our tent, so I woke up about every 15 minutes all night. But it was still a great experience to be there with the boys.




The next morning breakfast was prepared for us☺. Taylor and Parker then played dodge ball with a big group and Xander got to go to town on a piñata. He quite enjoyed it.




That’s when our day really started. Everyone else left to go home, but we set out on an adventure. First we went 10 miles farther up the scenic loop and came to an unbelievable view of Mt. Nebo.

After that we were off for the lake! Our canoe is 16’ long and fairly heavy. As we lift it on or off of the van, I hoist one end while Taylor and Parker lift the other end. Since Parker is quite a bit shorter than Taylor, he has to stand on a step stool to do his part. I’m sure some people wonder how responsible I am as a dad when they see this set up, but hey, it works! After getting the canoe down and loaded, we were in the water by 1:00 pm. We had our fishing gear, life jackets and lunch. Life was good. We spent the next 5 HOURS on the lake! It was so fun. First of all, the boys took turns getting out of the canoe and swimming in the lake. Xander was a bit nervous at first, but eventually enjoyed it. Then we ate lunch (thank you, Christi, for having it all prepared for us).






After lunch, we got out the fishing equipment. I am not a fisherman. I’ve never had any success with it. Other than two deep-sea-fishing trips, I’ve probably caught less than five fish in my whole life. So when I go fishing, I don’t expect to catch anything. I don’t really enjoy the sport. But my boys love it, and I love my boys, so when the opportunity is there, we fish. They have caught fish before, but it’s always been with someone else-never with me. Taylor once had one on his line, but it got away before it got to us. Are you getting the picture here? It took close to an hour to get all three boys squared away with hooks in the water. Then it was constant maintenance to keep everyone untangled, bait on their hooks, etc. At one point I was working on Taylor’s line. I hear Xander behind me say, with his cute little stutter, “I…I…I…I...I think I caught a fish!” “Ok Xander,” I condescendingly replied. “Hold on a minute and I’ll help you.” It was probably at least 7 minutes later that I finished working on Taylor’s line and turned to Xander. As we started to reel in his line, I sheepishly realized that he DID have a fish. He caught a brook trout and was about as excited as could be. It turned out to be a great day. All 3 boys caught a fish, and Taylor’s was a decent sized rainbow. My favorite line of the day was Xander. He looked down at his fish, and in the sweetest little voice said, "I'm gonna cook you little fishy." When we got home I learned that you don’t get much meat if you try to filet a 9-inch brook trout! Next time I’ll fry the whole thing and go from there☺.




After fishing, we joined some kids jumping off a platform into the lake. It was probably 8-10 feet up, and the boys loved it. Well, Taylor and Parker loved it. Xander thought I was trying to kill him when I had someone drop him in (with his life jacket on and me to catch him!). Parker even did a flip. I had fun too, although I must say I don’t look quite as good as my boys☹.








So why 3 minutes? Well, you see, I really am conscientious about sunscreen. I applied it twice that day to all four of us. But we were out too long in the canoe. Especially for Parker. He got a pretty bad sunburn on his arms.

Poor fair-skinned, redhead! Actually, all three of the non-asians on the boat got burnt. When we put on the sunscreen, we were all standing up. Our shorts came below our knees. But when we sat down in the canoe, our shorts pulled up and left about 5 inches of unsunscreened skin exposed. Yikes! Not good. So…if I had taken an extra 3 minutes to sunscreen Parker one extra time, he wouldn’t have been so burnt. The sunburn likely contributed to his car-sickness on the way home. And if we would have arrived home 3 minutes earlier, he wouldn’t have lost his lunch all over the inside of the van! Oh well, as long as they keep wanting to spend time with me, I’ll clean up a bit of bile when necessary.☺

Jer

PS. By the time we got home, the boys were beat. Xander was completely conked out. We brought him in the house and he promptly fell asleep on the living room floor. I wanted a picture with all three boys and their fish. If you double click on the picture, you can see just how unhappy Xander was with me at that moment!

Exercise playlist

First of all, I stand by my comment about a "wicked young man." (:

And thank-you so much for your support of Graci's rubber ducky fundraiser! I feel so overwhelmed and blessed to know so many wonderful people that would honor her in this way. THANK-YOU. You are appreciated!!

On to the title of this post:

Jeremy likes to tease me about my choice of songs to exercise to. I suppose it’s not “normal” to workout to Christian contemporary, but to me there is nothing that makes me want to run more than, “Come to Jesus…” blaring in my ear.

You would laugh at my most recent “exercise mix.”

I myself think it’s a bit strange. I hadn’t thought much about it when I sat down to burn a new CD off of Itunes. I just added songs that were calling out to me until I reached 40 minutes of playtime (my maximum time on the elliptical machine before I collapse in exhaustion.)

As I started to exercise, I began to realize the randomness of the songs I chose:

1. Remember When It Rained—Josh Groban
2. Haven’t Met You Yet—Michael Buble
3. Lemonade—Chris Rice
4. Made to Worship—Chris Tomlin
5. I Will Survive—Gloria Gaynor
6. Jesus Will Meet You There—Steven Curtis Chapman
7. Fireflies—Owl City
8. Watching Airplanes—Gary Allan
9. Kung Fu Fighting—Carl Douglas
10. The Lord’s Prayer—Andrea Bocelli and Mormon Tabernacle Choir

As I listened to each song, I thought about why I had chosen it:

1. “Wash away the thoughts inside that keep my mind away from you.” Not sure what it’s intended to mean, but I think of “you” as our Father in Heaven, and I LOVE that line. Expresses so well my desire to rid myself of my vices. And Josh Groban's voice-- wow.

2. Michael Buble just makes me happy. I LOVE him. (Luckily, Jeremy thinks he’s hot too!) Plus I have a fun memory of recently staying up until the early morning hours with Jeremy watching all of MB’s music videos and just having fun together.

3. I love the carefree nature of this song and the way it reminds me of my happy life.

4. Love it. Love that it’s singing praises to HIM. Love the line “And even the rocks cry out and even the heavens shout at the sound of His holy name.”

5. I know what the song is really about, but to me—the only words that matter are “I will survive!” I will survive all the messes and craziness and messes and appointments and messes and ups and downs that are mine! I say those three words to myself several times a day. (:

6. Two lines in this one that call out to me: “When the doctor says ‘I’m sorry, we don’t know what else to do,’ and you’re looking at your family wondering how you’ll make it through, whatever road life takes you down, Jesus will meet you there.” Of course, this line fills me with anguish, love, worry, peace—all when I think about my Graci Kate. And then the line, “When the sunlight comes and your world’s still dark…” I think of my Elli and the life she faces and the tremendous trials she is going through—and the promises she has been given. I am so grateful for my knowledge of Jesus Christ and could not make it through without that testimony.

7. Picked this one completely out of love for my Taylor. He heard it at school one time and asked us to download it. He loves it, and I love to hear him sing along. I had told him how much I loved his voice on that song, so one time he called my cell phone and left a message—singing the whole song. Love that kid.

8. I know it’s a tragic song, but it’s romantic and I love it. Love the melody. Jer and I love to dance to it!

9. Most random song on here. Dumbest lyrics ever: “Everybody was kung fu fighting. That kid was fast as lightning. In fact, it was a little bit frightening. He fought with expert timing.” HUH? I suppose I picked it for the beat, but also because it makes me laugh and reminds me of high school dances. A couple of years ago I started singing it out of the blue and Jer was like, “What song is that?” I couldn’t believe he’d never heard it! We went on the computer to download it and ended up finding the music video. It’s hilarious—a must see. We laughed our heads off.

10. Like, the most beautiful song EVER. The Savior’s words put to breathtaking music. You must listen to this video. I suppose I identify with Andre and love him in part because of his blindness. His voice is angelic and this particular recording sounds like it was recorded right in heaven. As a side note, when I was a little girl and people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would answer, "I want to play the organ for the Quabernacle Choir." (:

So yes, a strange playlist! And yet as I was listening to it—if felt so… me! So much of what I feel each day is within these songs: gratitude, romance, determination, testimony, desperation, contentment, silliness, joy, sadness, hopelessness, laughter, love…

The way my life is going, I’m quite sure my next CD will be just as random!

Pause the music at the bottom of the blog and enjoy the song...

Wicked Young Men

I try to read to the kids every night before bed. Sometimes it's every other night, and sometimes it's every other week. But over the course of the last few years we've managed to read Treasure Island, Tom Sawyer, The Chronicles of Narnia, White Fang, The Wizard of Oz and several other books. The kids LOVE it! We are currently reading Anne of Green Gables. It's fun how much Taylor and Parker enjoy Anne Shirley's vivacious personality and non-stop talking. And Graci identifies with Anne because they were both orphans who had to fit in with a new family.

Last night I was reading to them in our bedroom, and Christi was at the computer. I read the following line: "Diana...thinks perhaps it would be nobler to marry some wild, dashing, wicked young man and reform him." Christi immediately said, "That's what I did!"

You should have heard the kids howl with laughter. I couldn't really argue though...I was dashing:)

Jer

Priorities

Today I cam home and the kitchen was a mess. Dirty dishes in the sink. Nowhere to cook the fish I was going to prepare. My wife? She was downstairs playing make believe with married couple Rosalina and Max (Jesi and Xander-she was a doctor, he was a nurse and Christi was a patient who Rosalina and Max had adopted after treating her ailments:). She had been playing with them for close to two hours! Man, I am a lucky guy to have a wife who has her priorities straight!!!

I know I may be getting sickening with this, but...have I mentioned lately how much I love my life:)

Jer

We love you, Make-a-Wish!

NOTE: THE SEND OFF PARTY ORIGINALLY PLANNED FOR JULY 20 HAS BEEN CHANGED TO AUGUST 2. SEE UPDATE BELOW:

First of all, we have received our itinerary for Graci's Disney Cruise!! We will be leaving on Aug 12 and are beyond excited!! Update: We will be having a sendoff party for Graci on Aug 2 at 6:30 in our backyard. We'll grill some hot dogs and have fun playing and celebrating her wish. If you'd like to join us, let us know so we can make plans!! After the cruise is over Make-a-Wish will also host a "Star Raising Party" for Graci. It will be held at the Wishing Place in Murray. If you are able to only come to ONE of the events, the "Star Raising Party" is the one to come to!! She will get to raise her own star that will forever hang in the Wishing Place, along with the stars of all the other wish kids. It's a very special event, and we hope to have lots of friends and family there! We're not sure on dates yet, but it will likely be at the end of August or in September. So keep that in mind...

Also, Make-a-Wish is hosting their annual Rubber Ducky Derby on Aug 21. This is one of their biggest fundraisers. We feel so appreciative of the way that they have brought magic into our home, and we would love to give back. So Graci has opened a page where you can buy a rubber ducky for $5.00 in her name. The duckies will be raced at an aquatic center, and the winning ducky will receive $15,000 toward a new vehicle at a local car dealership. So if you would like to support Make-a-Wish, you can click HERE and buy a ducky in Graci's name. Thanks!

Graci's health remains the same. Most people do not even realize her condition is so serious, because she looks and acts so normal. She continues to wear oxygen when she is at home, but at this point doesn't have to wear it away from home. We'll be visiting the cardiologist soon and will for sure give you an update. We love her so much. Sometimes she gets so discouraged about having to wear oxygen, and the special attention she is getting from Make-a-Wish has been exactly what she needs. We are so grateful!

Prayers

One of my dearest friends is in need of prayers TODAY. I can't share her story, but she has asked for prayers, and I can assure you that you are praying for an amazing lady with a heart of gold.

In fact, just pray for "Christianne's amazing friend with the heart of gold" and I'm sure our Father in Heaven will know exactly who you're talking about. (:

I will forever LOVE you for sending prayers her way!!

I'm getting on my knees now.

--C

Questions...

We just received a flyer offering babysitting services from a girl in the neighborhood. On the flyer was the phrase "fee determined by number of children." We had a babysitter a few years ago that was the same way-- she charged $2.00/hr/kid. Luckily, we only had three at the time! I know that many subscribe to this philosophy-- the more children, the more you pay. It makes sense, in a way. And it sounds great for the parents of ONE child. (: The way I see it, however, is TIME is TIME. Is a sitter really worth less because she is just watching 1-2 kids? I would feel silly paying a sitter say, $2.00/hr to watch "just Elli" while I take the rest of my kids to a movie. (Elli obviously doesn't do movies). And along the same line, I can't afford to pay a young teenager $12.00/hr to watch my six kids, though I would LOVE to pay that much if I could-- we have some darling sitters!

In truth, I think it's sometimes easier to watch more children at once. I remember babysitting an only child and it was exhausting, because that child wanted all of my attention. In our particular case, I really think watching all six is easier than watching just one or two. The big kids are a huge help with "the littles" and know all the routines. They all play together really well.

So... question #1: Am I totally off base? Are we underpaying our babysitters by not paying "per child?"

Feel free to share your honest thoughts. (:

On to question #2: It was Parker's turn for a Mommy date a couple of weeks ago and we went to see Toy Story 3. Loved it. Jeremy later took all the kids to see it and he loved it too. My question is, are we the only parents who found ourselves totally crying at the end?

And question #3: Have you ever had a dinner of raspberries, blueberries, peaches and bananas cut up in a bowl with milk, sugar, and vanilla? If not, you are missing out! Mmmmmmm!