Sunday, February 28, 2010

So Grateful

I’m grateful today.  My family has been so blessed.  Today we are fasting.  My kids fast.  I am so grateful for their good examples, their faith, and their goodness.  I have been so blessed in this life.  I don’t know why, but I am grateful.  Today when we were talking about whether or not our Heavenly Father will heal the person for whom we are fasting, Becca reminded me that we must have trials in this life.  She is reminding me that even if our petition isn’t granted the way we want, there is a Plan of Happiness and we will go home one day.  Thanks Bec.

Another favorite song by Kari Jobe.  This one is called Joyfully.  It’s #4 on the playlist here.  I love to hear my kids singing good music.  There is so much good out there why waste our time on anything else?  :)  I love to hear Becca singing.  She has a beautiful alto voice.  She doesn’t sing often.  She is more quiet and shy than her sisters.    I love to hear her sing this song.  

You lead me by the waters still
You lay me down to rest upon your faithfulness
My shepherd, simply take my hand
Your song restores my soul
For Your name, You make me whole


Joyfully I lift my voice in praise to Thee
With heaven watching over me, I raise my hands up high
Your Majesty gently washes over me
Makes my heart begin to sing joyfully


No shadow ever shall I fear
Your peace, my heart will know
My cup it overflows
Your goodness chases after me
Your mercy and your grace will be my dwelling place


Joyfully I lift my voice in praise to Thee
With heaven watching over me,
I raise my hands up high
Your Majesty gently washes over me
Makes my heart begin to sing joyfully


I will sing from the mountain top
I will sing, I am overcome, I will sing making melodies
I will sing from the valley low
I will sing because of Your love, I will sing
You're my king, I will sing


Joyfully I lift my voice in praise to Thee
With heaven watching over me, I raise my hands up high
Your Majesty gently washes over me
Makes my heart begin to sing joyfully
Joyfully, joyfully, joyfully

CYNDI..and Andrew and Jacob and Michael and Mandy!!

We played and had a wonderful time!  Thanks for coming Cyndi!

Fun Week

Feb 26 hoe down 001This week was the Hoe Down at school (2 previous posts) and Cyndi visited with her boys (separate post)!  We only had one nursing problem – wahoo!  Sammi started attending Art Club.  This is the mask she made.  Becca and I went to New Beginnings.  And Lizzy started piano lessons.  Busy week, now that I think about it!  :)

The weather is starting to warm up – yeah!  I’m so tired of the cold and my dry, itchy skin.  I do need a little humidity, not as much as we get in August, but some.

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Becca after New Beginnings.  We are excited about the new Personal Progress changes.  Becca can earn the Young Womenhood Recognition again and receive the new medallion.  She can also earn a Bee Charm by helping someone else earn their Recognition.  So now she is busy again!  :)  Feb 26 hoe down 007 Feb 26 hoe down 010

Cute Lizzy….

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Sammi’s Scrimmage:  She was so nervous, but she did really well.  I’m glad she had the scrimmage to get her nerves worked out because she has two games this coming Saturday.  Good luck baby!

 

 

Cute, studious girls….  Lizzy made this pallet on Bella’s floor.  I’m glad the girls love each other.  Becca had to draw or trace some pictures for her social studies project.  We didn’t have any tracing paper or a light box.  So she came up with this:  my clear cutting board on top of a lamp.  Such a smart girl!

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In the spirit of the Olympics:  Jason has loved learning about and watching curling.  When we were raking on Saturday, we came up with a new Olympic sport – leaf raking.  Instead of throwing away our leaves, we pile all of our leaves into a section of our backyard the girls call “the forest.”  The girls love to play back there.  To get the leaves back there, we scoop them up in old sheets and haul them on our shoulders.  (The girls look like Santa Claus with his pack. :)  )  Back to our new sport.  There is the one person version.  You must be careful not to rake too hard or the leaves fly over the top of the sheet.  But not be too soft or it takes forever to get everything picked up.  Jason prefers the three man version.  First you check the direction of the wind, and then place the sheet where a combination of muscles and wind will move all of the leaves quickly into the sheet.  Our gold medal winners in the 3 man version:

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Friday, February 26, 2010

Hoe Down – Lizard’s Turn

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Walking home afterwards…

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Lots of videos…  Thanks for helping with these Sammi!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hoe Down - Jessi

Today was the Hoe Down at the girl’s elementary school.  All I can say is that it was so cute!  Jessi in 3rd Grade was first.  They did square dancing, the two step, line dancing, the chicken dance, and the bunny hop.

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Sammi entertaining Joy.  Thanks Sam!

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There are lots of videos because the girls wanted Daddy to see.  :)

 

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Heard at the Turpin house today

“Wha’s tha?” asks the adorable two year old, pointing at my forehead.

“Those would be my wrinkles.” 

Aging is grand  :)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

What’s Going On?

Loving…

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Dancing…

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Doing homework….It takes work to maintain straight A’s! 

A heart made from crayons!

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A not very honest person hurt our big van and didn’t leave a note :(  It’s not the first ouch-y and it won’t be the last. 

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Lizzy FINALLY got to spend all of her birthday money….

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We made the house safe for Joy who has discovered the joys of going outside.  HA – pull all you want, you aren’t going outside without someone watching over you little one.                                                                    Grandma came to visit!!

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The girls went to the park…

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More Thoughts, Skip if You Want :)

I’ve been thinking about the Parable of the Ten Virgins.  When darkness came it was too late for the virgins to prepare and no one could give them oil.  That was the way it was last year for me.  I was, thankfully, ready.  As much as you can be for something like that.   I do the things I know to be true.  I had the oil.  I needed that oil.  Then  was not the time for me to learn to read my scriptures, say my prayers, fast, and go to the temple.  While I was doing those things last year, it was all the previous years that had prepared me for what was to come.  (This is not to say that hard experiences don’t bring us to the Father – they do.  Sometimes we have to be brought low to rise to the heights He sees for us.)  Scenes flash through my mind that still take my breathe away.  I am just so grateful that I already knew.  I already knew God lives and He hears prayers.  I knew He could give me strength to make it through the seconds, the moments, the days ahead.

Now I am trying to fill my lamp again.  I am finding great strength in the Book of Mormon, in the Bible, in my prayers, in the temple.  I have to fill my lamp for the next thing, whatever it may be.  I am trying to find healing.  But there is a part of me that doesn’t want to lose the tenderness of the feelings I have experienced – perhaps some of the rawness, but I don’t want to forget.  I don’t want to forget the pain, the shock, the bewilderment, the feelings that take away my breathe.  I want to remember.

I think part of our mortal journey is (and I pause and hesitant to type this) is to break our hearts.  That in the rebuilding of the broken heart we have choices.  How will we sew it all back together?  Will we choose bitterness (thought about that path, trying so hard to steer clear) or will we allow the Master Healer to take our lives and knit us a new heart – one He wants us to have.  One that is tender and compassionate.  One that is totally devoted to Him and to returning to our Father’s presence.  I’m hoping that is the path I am on.  I hope.

Another cool song:  Healer by Kari Jobe (it’s #2 on the playlist here if you want to listen to it)

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease
I trust in You, I trust in You

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease
I trust in You, Lord I trust in You


I believe You're my healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe

I believe You're my portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus, You're all I need


Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

You’re my healer

Monday, February 15, 2010

Jessi-ism

Jessi asked us last night if they got Prophet’s Day off from school.  :)

No, KISD holds school on President’s Day.  :)

Sounds like a good holiday for the millennium, though :)

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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feb 13 001Sammi has the most creative mind I have ever encountered!  She made herself a circuit and devised a trach collar.  Now she looks like Bella.  We play what we see, I guess.  

 

 

 

Me and my babies.  It has been a year since I took a picture like this one.  Remember this?  Look how they have grown!

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Joy loves the bald spot on the back of Jason’s head!  LOL!  It makes me laugh.  I have never captured it on film before.  She pushes his head forward so that she can rub his bald spot.  Jason is a good sport and let’s her.  :) 

 

Playing around

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I love this picture of Becca and Bella!

 

 

 

 

 

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The girls had a fun Primary Activity on Saturday.  They all brought Valentine’s and exchanged them with their classmates.  There was a great deal of sugar involved, of course.  :)  Becca had her last basketball game of the season.  She is fine with that.  :) 

 

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My goal each week is to find the laundry room floor.  I usually make my goal by Wednesday.  This week, alas, it was Saturday before I was able to see this shining surface.  Oh well – there’s always next week.  :)