Time Out and the person I would most like to meet!

So my gem of a husband came up to me a few months ago with a flyer I had gotten in the mail for a Time Out for Women conference to be held in November.  He handed it to me and said, "I think you ought to get a hotel with your friends and go!"

Enough said.  (:

You may remember Heather from my "everyone needs a Heather" post.  She's also the author of my favorite blog and one of my bestest friends.  But have you met Kim and Vanessa yet???  These three girls have brought me so many smiles and laughs and good times in the last eleven years.  They flew out to visit me TWICE while I lived in Tennessee and have been with me through the good, bad, and ugly.

I LOVE them.

We had a great time at the conference, came back to our hotel, where Vanessa starting throwing free scarves and sweaters and hats our way (she sells them), stayed up WAY too late (4:30 a.m.), laughed, shared advice,  and filled each others' buckets.  I don't know what I would do without friends like these.

I probably shouldn't mention, because I'll seem TOO spoiled, that Jeremy offered to let me stay an additional night in the hotel.  BY MYSELF.  I don't think he thought I would accept, but I sure did!  That meant he got all 8 kiddos to 9:00 church by himself.  I'll give him a pass on the girls' hairdos.  (:

I slept and slept and slept some more, read my scriptures, and ate ALONE.  It was nice.  It was needed.  (:  Sunday afternoon I drove a few blocks and stopped at the first church I came to and went inside.   LDS churches in Utah typically have wards (congregations) that meet at 9:00, 11:00, and 1:00 (all for three hours) so I knew it was likely that there would be a Sacrament meeting I could attend.  (Of course, it was 1:00 after all that sleeping!)

So, don't lose me here...

A few days before, Parker had asked me if I could meet anyone in the world, who it would be.  He chose President Monson (president of our church and a prophet of God.)  I told him that was a great choice, but that I would have to choose Jeffrey R. Holland.  He is in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and one of my favorite people in the entire world, even though I've never met him.  My dad got to meet him a few months ago and I was pretty darn jealous.

You can see him HERE and HERE.  I LOVE the second one.  (Go ahead and watch-- you don't have to be a member of this church to enjoy these messages ;)

Anyway, that afternoon as I prayed before leaving for church, I remembered the talk given by Brad Wilcox, in which he shared an experience where he was struggling with his testimony.  He told of asking, "God, are you there?  And do you know me?"  I found myself asking those same questions during that prayer.  Does He know the desires of my heart?  Not that I didn't know, just that I love getting reassurance now and then.  (:

So anyway, I sat down in the chapel and waited for the meeting to start.  A sweet lady came and sat by me and we began to visit.  Then the meeting started.  The brother presiding over the meeting mentioned, "We'd like to recognize so-and-so (naming three men) who are on the stand with us presiding at this meeting."  I recognized one as a general authority of our church and assumed the other three to be as well.  (I know I'm losing you here if you're not LDS.  Just bear with me.)

Then he continued to say how grateful he was for the presence of so-and-so (naming two other men and their wives) who have served as general authorities in the past.

At this point, I turn to the sister sitting next to me and whisper, "Just HOW MANY general authorities do you have in this ward?"  She laughed and said, "Well, besides the 6 men they mentioned, we have Elder Holland."

I was like, "You have got to be kidding.  He's the one person in the world I want to meet more than anyone else!"  I remembered my prayer from just minutes before and thought, "Of course God knows me!  He sent me to Elder Holland's ward!!" (:  It was just like a little wink from heaven.  By the way, there happen to be over 28,000 LDS wards.  Not sure how many in Utah, but a pretty high number.  So it really is pretty cool to randomly show up where I did.

But, alas, Elder Holland wasn't there that day.  Apparently he's too busy serving people all around the world to be at his own ward every single Sunday.  (:


Maybe another time...  (:  I still felt loved.   (And I may be stalking that particular congregation!)

A perfect weekend.  Thank you, honey.

(The first picture is with Brad Wilcox, one of my favorite speakers ever.  He's like a big teddy bear and has been since I first met him as a young teenager.   He hugs everyone he meets and is just full of the light of Christ. The second picture is with Hillary Weeks.  She is basically AMAZING.  She and Heather are neighbors and friends.  (Makes me feel kind of cool, to know someone she knows.  Ha.)  You can see one of her videos HERE.  So good.  Her newest album is #6 in the Christian music charts.  The video also has footage of two other ladies that were at the event, one who almost died in a plane crash (you've likely heard of Nie Nie) and one whose family was killed in the wars in Africa.  Both inspirational.)

Healing

Lexi knows that she is blind.  But what does that mean, exactly?  Does she have any concept of what sight is?  Does she understand the implications of sight?

I often wonder.

Lexi accepts her blindness, but is very excited about the healing that will someday take place for her.  She tells everyone that when she gets to heaven, Jesus is going to fix her eyes. (Of course, when Lexi passes away, she will probably immediately be healed, without Jesus physically healing her, but she has decided this is going to be a big, special event in heaven.) A few days ago, Lexi asked me if she could sit in my lap when Jesus fixed her eyes.  I said, "Yes, you can sit in my lap.  That would be very special."  She then asked if I would hold her hand, and went on to explain that she was scared that it was going to hurt.  I reassured her that it wouldn't be painful.  I said, "Jesus will just put His hands over your eyes, like this (I put my hands over her eyes) and when He takes them away, you will be able to see."  (I'm not sure that's exactly how it will happen, but it's got to be something like that, right?)   (:

Lexi was very happy about this, and has shown at least a couple of people how Jesus is going to heal her.  She gets very giddy just talking about it.

Tonight, Lexi tripped on something in the living room and fell against a bookshelf.  She wasn't hurt badly, but she was crying hard, and wailed, "I can't walk when the floor is messy!"

That about broke our hearts.  Just try walking around your house right now blindfolded-- it's pretty scary!  I tried for less than a minute after her fall and my heart just ached for her and Elli and their daily struggles.  I will often remind my other kids to do the same, just to help remind us all to put our things away.

Tonight as I was tucking her into her bed, I was just overcome with how much I love this beautiful, special girl.  It's been almost a year since she joined our family and I can't believe her grasp of English, her resiliency, her happy demeanor, and her pure testimony of Jesus Christ.  As I kissed her goodnight, she said, "Mommy, can I fix my eyes?"  I said, "No, sweetie, only Jesus can fix your eyes."  She replied, "But I know how!  I just have to go like this," and proceeded to put her hands over her eyes.

Such childlike faith.

I have no doubt that it is faith enough to be healed now, if it is His desire for her. 

I love that sweet Lexi of mine.

Science Fair Help ADDENDUM

Wow!  Thank you so much for your input-- it has helped a TON!   Keep it coming, please!!

Ok, so this is the deal-- we need more MALES to watch the video.  We are getting a disproportionate number of females/males and we need them to be equal.  So... ask your sons and hubbies, if you don't mind.  (:

A big thanks from Graci and Taylor!  (:

Science Fair Help

It's my favorite time of year again--  science fair!  This year I get to help THREE kids put together their science fair project.  Lucky, lucky me!  (;

Graci and Taylor are requesting your help in their projects.  First of all, for Graci's project, if you could watch a short video and then leave a comment with the answer to the last question it asked, that would be sooo helpful!  Please state if you are male or female, as she is investigating whether gender affects the results of the test.  You can have family members take it too, if you feel so inclined to help even more!  (:

The video is HERE.

Secondly, Taylor is investigating the Birthday Paradox.  If you could just leave a comment in the comment box with the birthdates (without the year) of you and your family members, it would help tremendously.

The more participants, the better.  (:

Thank you, wonderful readers!!!

Happy Birthday, Parker!

I am 100% convinced that there is not a better boy in the world than our Parker. If you know him well, you know what I mean. Parker is not only athletic, funny, super smart, cool, and talented in so many areas, he is also generous, kind, spiritual, and so tenderhearted. He has always amazed us with the love he shows his siblings. Often, when he can sense me getting frazzled or frustrated, he will quietly step in and help. I don’t think a day goes by that he doesn’t offer to do something for me. He is protective of all of his little siblings. Every day after school, he picks Lexi up from her 1st grade classroom and walks her down the street a block to the place I pick the kids up. He does this despite the fact that his friends are running ahead of him, horsing around and having fun. And he has never once complained about it. That’s the kind of brother he is.

Parker’s birthday was yesterday. He chose a fried egg sandwich, sausage, raspberries, and mangoes for his breakfast in bed. After I sent the kids to school, I got thinking about how Parker had not-so-subtly hinted several times that he really wanted to stay home on his birthday. We had told him that no, he couldn’t miss school for his birthday. But I got to thinking about how happy it would make him and I decided to go pull him out before lunch. When I checked him out, he had a huge grin on his face. We came home and ate fettuccini alfredo together (his favorite food), played a game, and then cuddled and watched TV while Sophi napped. Best afternoon for both of us! I could do that every day!! Parker has declared that it MUST become an annual tradition. (:

Parker had his friend party tonight. He has such good friends-- I am so grateful! I took them all to the rec center to swim and play basketball. Then we picked up pizza and came to the house. Parker wanted warm pie and ice cream instead of cake. After they ate, they were hanging out in the living room just being boys. I was in the kitchen cleaning up, and after a few minutes, in came Parker to ask me if I needed any help. I think he’s going to make some girl VERY happy someday.

We love you, our wonderful Parker Matthew Green, more than we can ever say. Happy 11th birthday!

PTC

Came home from parent teacher conferences today. Saw Jess and told her that her teacher said she was a joy to have in the classroom. Jesi responded: "Well obviously!"

:)
Jer

The note I just found on Jessica's door

I am not kidding!
Parker and Taylor
Don't come in.
Not even if it's an a merchitce.
no!!!!!!!
Just for today.

(decorated with pictures of said boys)

We love Annie!

We have the most wonderful neighbors. Most days we have at least a few extra kiddos over here. One darling girl, Annie, has practically become one of ours. She is friends to Jesi, Xander, Lexi, and Sophi, and they all constantly ask to play with her.

Today I found the sweetest letter in Jesi's bedroom. She had just written it to bring over to Annie.

Dear Annie

You are a good friend to me. You are so in joy a bowl to me. I can trust you for secrats. I think you are smart.

Your friend,
Jessica.

P.S. We're playing candyland. Bye.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO


So grateful for good friends for our children!

You may be wondering...

... what's up with all the blog posts this afternoon.

It's simple, really.

It all started earlier this week when I had just folded a huge batch of clothes and had them sitting on my nicely made bed.

Insert Elli.

Within minutes of her going into my room unsupervised, she had not only thrown all of the clothes off the bed and strewn them about the room, but had taken the sheets and blankets off the bed, knocked various items off the dresser and nightstand, and was tearing up papers from the desk. Oh, and she emptied Jeremy's very organized card file, which he was oh-so-happy about.

I was too overwhelmed and busy to clean it up then, and in the last few days that mess has multiplied. (That seems to happen a lot around here.) Now you can see approximately three square inches of carpet in my bedroom. Which is why it was supposed to be my project this afternoon. And I would think you would agree, if that was your project for the day, you would rather blog too!

AGH!!!!! (:

How can you not smile?

Xander is a hoot.




This is him getting ready for his imaginary camping trip:




Yesterday Jeremy asked if he wanted to go to basketball practice with him and the other boys. Within seconds, Xander had donned this outfit and was ready to go. I just worry about his lack of personality. (;

Like going back in time...

My little sister, Leslie, and her family came up here last weekend. Her son was getting sclerotherapy the same day as Xander, and by the same doctor. We didn't even schedule that on purpose-- crazy!! Both of their surgeries were successful, but it was obviously not a fun experience for either of them (or their moms!). It is so hard to watch your child hurt.

At least the other kids got to have some fun!!






Leslie's three boys are so, so darling. Whenever we are around them, Jer and I will have flashes of Taylor and Parker at their ages. Trey looks so much like Taylor, and Lincoln like Parker. I'm not sure if you can see it in these pictures, but it really is crazy how similar they are. I am so glad to have them around to remind me of my cute little boys that grew up WAY too fast!




Leslie makes these cutest headbands. I'm thinking I should take lessons...

Sophi's kisses...

...are seriously the best thing on the planet.

Could she be any cuter? Seriously??

Three cheers for Elli!

Elli has been so happy for the last couple of days. Her teacher said that Tuesday was the best day she's ever had-- yay! Yesterday I met her class for a field trip. I wish I had brought my camera-- the kids were all so sweet! It's always good to be around other moms and teachers who understand a lot of what you are going through with these special kids. Something so random-- one of my roommates from BYU has a son with autism who is in Elli's class. We hadn't seen each other for years and then that happens!

I was visiting with her teacher at the field trip, and she thinks that I need to take another shot at potty training Elli. Um, that sounds like as much fun as pulling out my toenails! I am not kidding. But I'm going to try. Elli does usually go on the toilet when we take her, it's just that she doesn't tell us when she needs to go. And she dances around on the toilet and makes all kinds of fun messes. Apparently at school, they have been taking her very consistently (giving her treats as rewards-- she'll do anything she can do for treats) and she is staying dry there. She rarely stays dry here, but then again, I am not at all consistent at taking her. So I guess we're going to give this thing a try. Starting Saturday. I'm trying not to panic.


I LOVE my Elli. I have said before that she is like oxygen to me-- that I just have to breathe her every day. Admittedly I feel more that way when she has good days like these!! (:

She is an angel on earth, that girl.

Sisters

These two crack me up. Their interactions are just so funny. Sophi will try to read to Lexi by running her toes over the braille letters while making up a story. Lexi will try to carry Sophi around like she's her little baby and will constantly run into things and drop her, which they both find very humorous. Lexi will try to teach Sophi how to pronounce things correctly (hilarious!) while Sophi will try to tell Lexi what to do. Sophi will feed Lexi with her little toes while barking at her to come closer, and Lexi will feed Sophi but miss her mouth half the time. They just laugh through it all.

I love them!

Toothless Wonders x 4

This is my attempt at getting a picture of how these four darlings are currently missing their two front teeth. As you can see, it wasn't very successful. (:









Our family just might put the tooth fairy out of business...

Which reminds me, I found it quite humorous that Parker was determined to wiggle his tooth loose while we were down in Ferron visiting Grandma a couple weeks ago. Apparently, he had learned from past experience that the tooth fairy pays a lot more at Grandma's house. I told him it may have just been a one time thing, but he was quite sure it would happen again. He was right. (:

No such thing as a few minutes alone...

After repeatedly telling the kids that I was busy for a few minutes, (ie. leave me alone, please!) I received this note on my counter:

"Dear Mrs. Green,

I think you will not Be happy about this. Lexi said she needs you. She's in Jessica's room. so sorry to interupt yoour cooking."


The handwriting points to this cutie:

Random Cuteness

At some point on most school mornings, when Sophi is Christi's incessant, noisy, demanding shadow, and continually shouts to ensure her voice is heard above the general din of getting seven other kids out the door, Christi hollers out to me, "Don't forget that today is take-your-daughter-to-work day!"

Last night Taylor and Parker had basketball practice and I was coaching them. We were gone for an hour and a half. During that time, Graci had helped out a lot with the little kids. The boys and I got home and the family immediately sat down to a late dinner. It was obvious that the boys were exhausted, and I told them to just shower and go straight to bed. Graci, in an abrasive voice, barked at me "Do I have to help?" OK. I understand her point. The boys get to play while she works. Then, since their play was so intense that it wore them out, they get to go to bed while she helps clean up dinner? Doesn't seem fair. But her tone of voice can be quite similar to nails on a chalkboard at times and can create in a person a desire to bark back at her, "Yes!!! You do have to help!!!". But I, being the sweet, thoughtful, kind dad that I am, decided to take the patient route. With a smile on my face, I explain to Graci that I empathize with her. I give her an example of a different way to approach me with her request: (In a syrupy, sweet voice and batting my eyelashes) "Daddy, I worked so hard while you and the boys were playing basketball. I helped mommy so much. Would it be OK if maybe I could relax after dinner like Taylor and Parker? Grace, do you see the difference?" I asked. "Yes," she replied. "OK, why don't you try asking me again." Graci, in an ever-so-slightly less abrasive voice than the first time: "Do I have to help?" I stared at her for about 2 seconds and then busted up laughing. No Grace, you don't have to help:)

Christi, after observing Sophi walking around wearing one of my big, white t-shirts and looking quite like a Halloween ghost: "You know, depending on how gory we wanted to get, Sophi could have some really incredible Halloween costumes when she gets older..."