Just One Piece of Bread

As a 16- and 17-year-old boy, I remember doing "shut-in" sacrament visits with my fellow priests for people who weren't able to make it to church. In Brea, CA, there was really only one elderly woman whom we consistently visited. I'm sad to say that her name escapes me now, but her face is one I'll never forget. She couldn't see very well, but she knew it was us when she answered her door. I could tell because we'd walk in and there would be the carefully laid-out setting with a small glass of water and one tiny piece of bread on a plate.

The priesthood duty and privilege to bless the sacrament was familiar, but it was always a somewhat different feeling to go through all the steps of preparing and blessing the sacrament to then distribute it to a single person. I was reminded of this feeling today when, due to Hurricane Irene, church was canceled and our bishop authorized all worthy Melchizedek Priesthood holders to perform the sacrament ordinance for their families at home.

This morning, I got a small plate and glass down from the cupboard and took out the one slice of bread we would need for the sacrament. I broke it in half and put one portion on the plate. Then, realizing that this was still too big for our small group, I broke it in half again. While doing this, I thought of that elderly sister I had visited many times about 12 years ago. It was then that I realized what that "different" feeling was of giving the sacrament to a single person. After having broken the bread and saying the prayers on behalf of a 150-person congregation each week, and then going to one lonely sister's house to perform the same ritual, it brought the meaning of the Atonement full circle. It was a perfect illustration of the breadth and depth of Christ's sacrifice -- being powerful enough for all mankind throughout history and yet intimate enough for the pains and heartaches of a single person. What a lesson for a young priest to learn (even if somewhat subconsciously), and more importantly, to learn it while in the service of others.

This reminder made me grateful for the opportunity I had to bless the sacrament on behalf of the three people I love most and to remember our Savior's deep love for each one of us.


When we explained to Davy that we weren't going to church but that we'd be holding it at home, he started referring to it as "pretend church." And true to his form at "real" church, he incessantly asked whether it was time for "pretend nursery." Meanwhile, we managed to keep his attention through an opening song and prayer, family business, sacrament hymn, and finally the sacrament. Davy enjoyed a somewhat larger piece than he was used to getting in church, and since we used a communal cup, he took advantage of the situation by gulping almost all of it before Daddy got his portion. Rachel then provided a wonderful lesson about the importance of taking the bread and water to remember our Savior.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying some indoor play time with the boys and a little bit of treat-making. To Davy's delight, Rachel made popcorn balls, and we sang "Popcorn Popping" over and over again. By the end of the day, Irene had passed by relatively unnoticed. There was some light rain and a few strong gusts of wind. When it was all done, Davy enjoyed surveying the extent of the damage.

Camp Joseph, VT

This weekend our ward had a camp-out at Camp Joseph in Vermont, close to Joseph Smith's birthplace memorial. It's a gorgeous camp ground and well worth the three hour drive from Belmont. I am truly glad we went, though the whole time leading up to and preparing I was complaining and questioning why in the world we were going camping. I'm not a camper. Neither, for that matter, is Collin. But I may just be a Camp Joseph camper. Nice cabins, fantastic bathrooms, fridge and freezer for food, perfect pond--what more could I ask for, after all? The boys had a blast, of course. How could they not love dirt and bugs and frogs and s'mores and hot dogs and flashlights and sticks and rocks? Every kid's dream.


I love this expression in response to "Davy, look at Mom!"


Davy was looking forward all day to seeing Calvin. They were as cute as can be. Davy asked Calvin when he first saw him, "Calvin, are you my best friend today?"


Camping works up a great appetite and food always tastes better with an infusion of smoke.


These four boys were so adorable. They played together really nicely, for the most part (unlike the older boys who were constantly getting into mischief and trouble. Can't wait for those days. I was observing the moms of the older boys and getting tips for the future.). This rock was their pirate ship and they were trying to decide who was Peter Pan and who was Captain Hook. I tried not to interrupt their play, but clearly I was intruding.



There were some awesome frogs in the "Waters of Mormon" pond. A nice older girl caught this one for Davy. He thought that was the greatest present. He had been watching the older kids handle the frogs and did a really good job picking it up and holding it carefully. There were a few moments I was sure I was going to have to clean frog guts off his hands, but luckily didn't squeeze too hard after all.


Eddy spent most of the time in the Ergo carrier on either Collin's or my back, but he did love the freedom of crawling around in the mud by the pond. Don't know what that face is expressing, but trust me, he was not disgusted by the dirt and mud.


My handsome outdoor man. He was a great sport and took a gazillion great shots of the rest of the group to send to the other ward members who were on the camping trip. I mostly focused on our family when I had the camera, but Collin is a great example of thoughtfulness and service. He sees a need or want and does his best to carry it out.


Eddy was alert on the long ride home but Davy crashed. He even slept through most of the downpour we hit halfway back to home--the beginnings of Hurricane Irene? Anyway, despite reluctance from me on our choice of weekend activity, we had a great time at Camp Joseph and look forward to the next time!

Seaport, CT and Mohegan Sun Casino

Don't let the title fool you--I'm still labeling this as a "wholesome recreational activity!" Last Monday, Collin had a planning meeting with his audit team. The partner rented rooms at a casino in Connecticut for the meeting and Collin "snuck" (with permission) us in with him for the overnighter. (Thanks Deloitte for the free vacation!) We explored the casino, Mohegan Sun, a little bit (you would be astonished how many children were there in the burning pit of sin, not that I can judge since I brought mine . . . ), but mostly we got outside as much as we could! There is a great maritime museum in Seaport, just 20 minutes away from Mohegan Sun. The boys and I spent a great afternoon wondering around an historic shipyard and learning new vocabulary like "anchor" and "oar." Davy had spotted an oar and told me he wanted to "sweep the water" but I had no idea what he was talking about until he ran over to the row boat and climbed in. Then it clicked. Moms are so slow, sometimes!



We had a fun breakfast with Daddy in the morning before he went off for part two of his meeting. The best part of the casino was the fact that they had a Krispy Kreme and real old fashioned donuts. I like Dunkin Donuts okay, but no one around here knows how to make true old fashioned, even if they call them old fashioned. I could go on all day about donuts, but I'll stop now!


Sorry about the loud background noise--there was a waterfall over a fancy restaurant in the casino, but Eddy's funny flash face is worth it:

And of course we went swimming. Well, we sat in the water on the steps since I was the only adult and didn't think I could do two boys safely by myself any further out than the steps. Davy kept saying he wanted to "drown" which I finally realized meant "go under the water," but kind of scared me until I translated the meaning. He was brave enough to blow bubbles and put his whole face under twice, but stopped after he stayed under longer than he wanted to and got a little nervous. I think we'll start swimming lessons next summer, but until then I am happy if he just stays comfortable in the water. And Eddy loved splashing up a storm and gnawing on his little floater (clearance at Target!). He's an easy-to-please kind of guy when it comes to water.

Post 250, Home on the Range

What a milestone! 250 posts to date, and lots more to come! I don't think I've ever been so successful at keeping a journal for so long. I am so grateful for this technology that keeps me wanting to journal our family's fun, and simultaneously lets our far-away-families keep up to date on our doings. So in this post enjoy some pictures of an outing to the park and normal happenings at home.



I went to drop some donation stuff off at the Fox Library Children's Resale shop (an awesome place that we recently discovered) and stayed long enough to find some things we "needed" at home in exchange for the stuff we got rid of. We found this harmonica which (after a little sanitizing) provided entertainment and noise--I mean beautiful music--all afternoon. We also found a shopping cart that I thought we could not do without when I was standing in the store looking at the price tag ($10) but now I think I perhaps should've passed on. The boys love it, but it's just another of those things that they both want at the same time, and it's an unstable place to have a tug-of-war.


Eddy finally won (with a little help from me and threat of the quiet corner/time out for Davy).


And look who got to finish off the Costco-sized jar of animal crackers!




Funnest game ever!


Here is a little fuss from our little'un:

Drumlin Farm

Our friends purchased a share at Drumlin Farm this year, meaning that they go pick up farm fresh produce--and actually pick their own of some crops--once a week. They are visiting family the whole month of August, so we got the chance to go visit the farm, pick up their share of produce, and use the delicious leeks, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, etc. What a blessing! It was such a fun afternoon, driving though the "country" (as country as we get within 20 minutes of Belmont) and spending time wandering the farm, seeing the goats, sheep, pigs, cows, pony, owls, and cat. It's a teaching farm, so they also had a room where kids can handle some of the objects from a farm, like milk pails and horse shoes. My boys got right into it!



Yes, that horseshoe is as dirty as you think it is.


Yeehaw! Davy couldn't get enough of sitting on these horses. Almost made up for not riding a real horse.


Davy made friends with the friendliest cat I think I've ever met, named Felix. I could not believe how tolerant the cat was, especially knowing the amount and type of kids that he probably encounters daily.


We had a great, dirty, afternoon at the farm and I loved it. I plan to go back again soon. I want to someday have our own "gentleman's farm" and just hope that dream is fulfilled soon enough for our kids to get the benefits of being around animals and chores! I guess first we'll focus on remembering to put the dishes in the sink after a meal . . .

The Things Edward Can Do

Edward takes after his dad:


This is rather an inside joke, I guess, but here's the background story. We were visiting Collin's parents and Mom made a special ice cream sundae for her "favorite" son (another inside joke, one that is probably--more or less good-naturedly--in every family) with whipped cream and sprinkles. Instead of saying a polite or even enthusiastic thank you, Collin stuck his face in the sundae like a dog and came up covered in whipped cream and sprinkles. His mom and I were appalled. How rude, right? Well, after seeing Eddy do the same, I think that maybe for boys it just seems like the easiest way to do things. No fingers or utensils or any hindrance slowing down getting the food to the face.

Actually, Edward is getting pretty handy at utensils. He definitely can't feed himself yet, but he is very busy and entertained trying.

He's also learning so many words. He can say approximations of several (Mama, more, water, ball, banana, roar (like a dragon), hi) and understand a lot more (bounce, throw, bath (very happy about), diaper (not happy about), up, sit down, walk, ride, no, yes, come here, high five, careful, etc.).


He's getting everywhere, climbing stairs and slides right behind his brother and going down slides head first. I think some of the other moms at the park are a little freaked out that I'm letting him do all these things. I'm a little freaked out myself, but he's so competent and confident. I just stick close and watch like a hawk, ready to comfort him after the inevitable fall.


He has got the funniest little twist and kick action that he does when he's upset about something, like when we say "no" or take away a "toy." I've been meaning to get it on camera, but have not got around to it. And he's really good at "spaghetti arms" where he goes limp in the shoulders and slithers out of our grasp if we try to take him somewhere he does not want to go or away from something he wants. Quite a little opinionated creature, this one.

Meet Arnold

Davy has taken to his stuffed animals quite a bit recently. The ones he really spends a lot of time with have names that he came up with himself. This pig is Arnold (from Kipper, a show about a British dog and his friends I let him watch on Netflix sometimes):


His horse is Sampson, like Prince Philip's horse from Sleeping Beauty and his duck is Dodo-dida. Don't ask why, I don't know. But it is consistently Dodo-dida. He takes care of them during the day at home and they are his nap and bedtime companions, though luckily they do not go other places with us.


Funny quotes from Davy this week:

I was singing along to some music in the car when Davy said, "No mom, stop your music!" He doesn't like my singing anymore, so sad.

Collin was helping him say a prayer and prompted, "Please help me to be obedient . . ." Davy parroted (with his cute prayer face of eyes scrunched up and nose wrinkled) "Please help you to be obedient."

"Santa Claus will bring me a real Buzz and his wings will pop out." This was a day or two after I explained to Davy about asking Santa Claus for special presents when Mommy can't/won't buy a certain toy from the store. He has a cheap little action figure of Buzz that I picked up somewhere for 25 cents. He has been asking for a couple of months now for a real Buzz Lightyear toy, meaning he needs the wings to pop out. So here's a plea to grandparents to consider the Blast-off Buzz Lightyear toy for Davy's combined birthday/Christmas gift this year.

A Motley Crew

I've had this idea since I was a teenager. I'd like to say I came up with it myself, but I think I was inspired by some magazine picture I saw. Nothing to be ashamed of in that, I suppose. Anyway, I have wanted to try it for a while and finally had motivation and money to do it. I've been collecting random chairs for $5 from thrift stores or free cast-offs on trash day and storing them in the basement. Last Saturday I finally cleaned, sanded, primed, and upholstered them all. I was very glad Collin was there to keep the baby away from the project! I used spray paint to make the job easier and less messy, but it was still messy.


I chose black for the chairs because I like black furniture, and it was the natural color to tie them all together even though the styles are so different. Also, I found a yard of great, classy upholstery fabric for $3 (usually $75) in the remnant basket at Joann. What a steal!


After:


I found the bench on Craig's List for $20, already painted that perfect color of maroon. It's amazingly heavy (which is good, because the boys can't knock it over when they are climbing all over it) and the lines are just what I wanted. I'm obsessed with Craig's List and Collin has started calling it my "room of requirement" because I always find just what I'm looking for for a great price!


I had such fun doing this little upholstery cushion. I remember "helping" my mom do her dining chairs when I was 15 or 16, but I have been really intimidated with the thought of upholstery. I couldn't pass up this sweet little chair for $5 and saw its potential. It is now "my" chair. I don't know if I would tackle a bigger upholstery project (without my Aunt Sarah's help, or at least on speed dial), but I would feel braver to try sometime.