Elizabeth

It has been a tearful week, but Elizabeth Oliphant is now at peace. Kendall's mother, and the wonderful grandmother to my children, passed away today around 12:30 pm. She was surrounded by a few of her children and her husband. All of her children gathered at her bedside to kiss her cheek and say goodbye. We will miss you.

Above all, Elizabeth believed in the Savior, and in his power. She had seen trial and pain throughout her life, but it always came back to her knowledge that if she felt prompted by the Spirit, she would follow through, regardless of the difficulties.

Her absolute love for her children and for the spouses and children they brought into her family, was one of the best examples I had of Christian charity. I hope I can honor that love by being kinder, speaking more softly, choosing patience over judgment. And over all, I hope that I can honor her by loving those she loved with a more open heart, and a gentle touch.

May your visit with your loved ones gone before be full of music, joy and rejoicing. And may those left behind keep your memory always in our hearts as an example of Christ.

The Rule Of Three

There are lots of sayings about how change comes into our lives. "When it rains, it pours", or...well, I can't think of anymore right now. But there are a lot. One I always remember, though, is "Bad things come in threes".

This summer has been one of change. And not the good kind. Kendall lost his job. Bad. And while we have a good prospect on another one (I may be adding a retraction in a week), it may be that to find another job in Kendall's field, we will have to move. Very far away. Good and bad, but a lot of unpleasant change.

And two days ago we found out that Kendall's mother is dying. She has been on dialysis for the past 2 years, and basically living on pain medication that entire time. About a week ago her primary care physician told her to stop taking the pain meds, and she spent the past week in excruciating pain, to the point of no sleep except for cat naps for almost 7 days. Her quality of life is next to nothing, though she still has all her mental faculties.

So she came to the decision that she would no longer go to dialysis. The life expectancy after that decision is around 4 to 7 days. We went to visit her last night, and it was clear her mind was made up. She'd had several blessings, and the Spirit was strong as she shared her feelings about the situation. She's tired, her body's worn out, and she feels she can have more influence on the lives of her grandchildren from the other side. And so she will go.

It's been an emotional couple of days, to say the least. I hope that when this is all over, though, we can look back at the summer of 2010 as a positive one. I hope.

Ups and Downs

Just a quicky to say that last Friday was a downer day, and today not so much...but you never know. That could change in an instant. But right now everybody's happy, Sarah, Pete and Meri are excited for school to start, and I'm excited to have it start, too! Maybe now I'll get some work done. :) Or maybe not, with the two monkeys left at home.

We are going to do a "homeschool preschool" for Andrew this year, not only learning the basics and getting him over that reading hump, but working on fine motor skills and listening/obeying directions, so kindergarten isn't such a shock to him.

And Benj? What can I say about Benj? He's just a monkey, and I'm stunned he's made it to 3 1/2 without breaking something.

Have a great weekend!

Superstitions

I used to be superstitious when I was little. I don't know why, but it played big into my growing up. And then I grew up, and realized it had more to do with my perception of reality than reality itself.

And then I saw/read The DaVinci Code, and the whole discussion about why Friday the 13th was a day of bad luck. So I really didn't believe in that anymore.

But today is Friday the 13th. And it's Kendall's last day of work, and there's still nothing on the horizon--not even an interview yet.

So even though I'd outgrown it...it niggles in the back of my mind still, a little voice wondering if this is a bad omen.

Summertime, and the Livin' Ain't Easy...

I look forward to school. Can't tell you how much. I need these kids to not be in the house together for a while. Just the two little boys fighting would be great, instead of everybody fighting with everybody else. Sigh.

The Summer Blahs

It has just occurred to most of my kids (and myself) that we are on the downhill side of summer. We had so looked forward to the California trip, that any activities after that were nonexistent. So now we start talking about school, and registering Sarah for 9th grade (!), Pete for 6th (!) and Meri for 1st (!). Andrew, because of his December birthday, still has a year of being home/ preschool (maybe...if I can find someplace that doesn't cost an appendage...). But after that, he goes, and the Benji goes the year after, bang bang. I can't believe that in just 2 years all my kids will be in school. Strange thought...I believed the toddler/kids at home fulltime thing would last FOREVER.

Anyway, the time has come to prepare for the next year. The big kids have choir assessments this next week, and then it's August, and in a blink it'll be time for school to start. Sigh. I hope I can figure out a better plan for homework than I have in years past.

We're Home!

Yay, we're back from CA! We had a wonderful time, and loved spending it with our Collins family, spread far and wide across the country. Kendall survived with out a sunburn, though Peter got a scorcher of one (including a few blisters on his cheeks!) The weather was deceptive, cool, overcast and breezy the whole week, with only a couple of afternoons clear of clouds. It probably made the rest of the family miserable, but Kendall and I loved it. Sorry, guys!

Disneyland was a blast. Benji just skirted the 40" line, so he could ride most of the rollercosters. We even bought a picture of the whole family on Splash Mountain.

We miss you guys...let's do it again soon!

Summer Illness

Sorry it's been so long...I caught a summer cold (maybe the flu), and was fuzzy and out of it for 3 days. Then Meri got sick the day after I did, and even though I've recovered, she is still desperately ill. We took her to the doctor yesterday after 3 days of 102+ fever off and on. The doc thought she might have developed an ear and sinus infection after getting caught unawares by this viral illness. So we have her doped up on everything possible. I'm really not sure how this is supposed to work, with getting ready for vacation, etc. But hopefully the meds will kick in sometime today, and by Friday when we leave for CA she'll be well enough to go. Otherwise....I don't know.

And So It Begins...

Last Friday Kendall was laid off, as of Aug. 1. This means, well, you know what it means. I know we're going to be okay, and in the long run this is for the best, but for today, I think I'm going to mope. Or work out my emotions by cleaning the house. At least that would be productive, huh?

The Joy of Music

Today was a music day. Kendall sang (with 3 other guys) and I played in Sacrament Meeting today, I had choir (the last rehearsal of the summer), and for some reason, my kids seemed to be singing all day.
My favorite is Benji right now. He is rarely in tune, though sometimes he hears it and follows the pitch pretty well. But it's his enthusiasm, the joy he gets from just making the music and singing along that brings a smile to my heart.
I'm trying to be careful not to crush that joy by trying to "teach" him how to sing in tune. For right now, I'm just enjoying the memories of his wide smile stretched in the third time through of "Twinkle, Twinkle" before he goes to bed.