And Thus, He Begins

Nathan began his missionary service today. He will be in home MTC for a week and a half and then spend a week and a half in the Provo MTC. Before Christmas he was well occupied with school and social events but he has spent the last several months counting down the days. He hasn’t squandered his time at all, filling his days with institute classes, mission prep and at least three visits a week to a variety of the temples in the near vicinity, but he has been very excited to start which on occasion has made the time seem long. On the flip side, the past two months have flown by, and it is hard to believe he is really leaving us next week.

One of Nathan’s tasks over the past several weeks was to get his study space ready for his home MTC time. He has packed up his room and put away things that would be a distraction. The info he received suggested that he put up some pictures of Christ as reminders, but Nathan already has images of the Savior and other religious artwork plastered all over his walls, so other than packing up things and making sure all his materials were close at hand, there wasn’t much to do to ready his space. On Saturday morning Kev helped him get all his tech arranged and with scriptures, manuals, and journals at the ready, all he had to do this morning was turn on the computer and log in to his classes. 

Every time he had a break, Nathan would dash out of his room for a few minutes and share what he had done and learned during that block of time. The tight schedule was a bit of an adjustment after running on his own time for several months now, but it was all good. He had an amazing day, is super excited to keep learning and continue to get to know his companions better, and by the end of the day he was exhausted by all he had done. It was one of those situations where he sat at the computer for the majority of the day but was so mentally weary by the end of the day that he was completely ready to sleep by the time his day ended. But he had a great day and is so happy that he is finally able to get started on this amazing new adventure. Hopefully we will be able to retain that joy and enthusiasm as he moves forward in his mission service.

Family Focused Weekend

In anticipation of Nathan’s imminent departure for his mission, Daniel came home on Friday night so we could spend this entire weekend together as a family. Nathan will be home for another week and a half, but Daniel has to go back to Logan for school on Monday and will be in Las Vegas with the pep band next weekend, so this weekend was our last chance to gather together until Nathan comes home from Texas in two years. We all made this time together our priority and tried to take advantage of every minute.

Yesterday we all showed up to cheer Matthew on at his Youth Harmony Day concert. Kevin and Matthew had planned to dash off to Provo for the last BYU basketball game of the season as soon as the concert was over, but a last-minute change of heart took Matthew to the high school instead to see his friends perform in the school musical. The basketball game had remained on the calendar because Kev and I both felt like giving Daniel and Nathan some one-on-one time while the rest of us were otherwise engaged would be a good thing. Daniel and Nathan have become good friends as they have grown up, and Kev and I felt that giving them some time together needed to be a priority. So having Matthew opt to go to the school was just fine and still allowed my two oldest boys to have some time together.

The last-minute change of plans for Matthew and Kev didn’t alter plans for the rest of us. We headed home via Tsunami, our favorite sushi and Japanese food restaurant. Daniel, Nathan, Malia and I had a tasty meal and enjoyed some lively conversation and plenty of laughs along with our food. I think our tendency to laugh when we are together is good. The lighthearted moments help balance out the stresses of life and is one of the things I love about my family. As my kidlets have grown up and the amount of contention between them has diminished considerably, our time together has most definitely become more of a delight. 

After dinner we headed home where Malia and I went off to our showers while Daniel and Nathan had some quality brother time playing the Lego Incredibles video game. The kids have discovered that they enjoy playing dual character games from time to time. In fact, Daniel even figured out how to play two player games via the internet so he can play with his sibs while he is in his apartment in Logan. While it may seem trivial, this video playing time and the conversation and banter that accompanies it has become one of the ways that my kids can enjoy their time together. Malia had her turn with Nathan playing the Lego Marvel video game and then we switched to card games and proceeded to stay up way to late. I think the late hour was fine for the kids, but I’m getting old and don’t function as well as I used to in the wee hours of the night. 😉

Sunday started off with a delightful breakfast of strawberry waffles. The weekly waffle routine began as a way to keep feeding eggs to Matthew on a regular basis, but since then has kind of turned into a Sunday morning family tradition to which we all look forward. After we consumed far too many waffles covered in berries and cream, we played games until it was time to head to the stake center for Nathan to be set apart. Both Kevin and Daniel were invited to stand in the circle as the stake president set Nathan apart as a full-time missionary. Some of Nathan’s questions and concerns were addressed in the blessing and he was promised some amazing things. He came away feeling calm and imbued with the Spirit. As for the rest of us, it was one of those moments when things suddenly get very real. Nathan put on his missionary tags as soon as the blessing was over, and it was a visual reminder that his time here at home is very short indeed.

Sunday afternoon and evening were spent playing even more games and having dinner and dessert together one last time before Daniel headed back to school. We have decided we should start revisiting all our FHE favorite treats from times past, so we ate a delicious carrot cake. It was accompanied by huckleberry ice cream, which is an unusual pairing, but Kev happened to spot some Aggie Ice Cream at a new market that just opened in our area and grabbed it knowing it is one of Nathan’s favorites. Not only is the huckleberry one of Nathan’s favorite flavors from his local university creamery, but it also invokes fond feelings and warm memories of his semester at USU and makes him look forward to the time when he can return. Since we aren’t certain that the Aggie ice cream is safe for Malia, we also ended up with some Meadow Gold huckleberry so she could enjoy the same treat the rest of us were having. Even Matthew got to sample the huckleberry goodness due to one last jar of huckleberry jam we picked up on our trip to Yellowstone three years ago and had tucked away in the basement. He stirred some into his vanilla ice cream and quite enjoyed it.

After we ate far more cake and ice cream than was good for us, we read through the letter that is sent to the families of the missionaries to help us know what to expect as Nathan starts his home MTC time together. One last family prayer followed our discussion and then a couple more rounds of games until Daniel had to head back to Logan.

This past week has been hard. I don’t know about everyone else, but for my family, we have discovered that the adversary picks at us extra hard when are approaching a significant spiritual event in our lives. This week has been an incredibly hard one with every single member of my family feeling the weight of the adversary. It has also been a week of wild emotions and some incredible spiritual experiences. After all those ups and downs over the past week, this weekend felt like a little bubble of peace. My family has been surrounded by calm, by the Spirit, and although I know there are hard days ahead for all of us as Nathan leaves for a time, this weekend has definitely been a joyful one filled with love and quality family time. It will be two years before we get to do it again and as such, I feel all the more blessed that we had such an amazing weekend.

Joy in the Music

Two years ago, Nathan and Matthew participated in a one-day workshop focused on barbershop music called Youth Harmony Day. This normally annual event was cancelled last year due to COVID but was back on the calendar this year. Matthew really enjoyed his last experience, so he was quick to sign up for another round when he discovered it was happening again. The gentleman who was conducting the men’s choir was a member of a well-known (at least in the barbershop music world) quartet and was the same person who conducted the choir two years ago. I think the highlight of Matthew’s day was the fact that the conductor remembered him from the last event and pointed out that he had been unafraid to sing full voice in his tenor range last time and was still unafraid to sing out in his current baritone voice. 

After a day of workshopping, the kids performed in a short concert. It was incredibly fun to see a group of kids, all of whom love singing enough to voluntarily give up a full Saturday, sing their hearts out. Their passion for the music and their joy in it were evident. Matthew had a good day.

He Thinks (and Sleeps) in ASL

Nathan has been dreaming in ASL periodically for months now. But last night, his subconscious brain took things one step further. He came awake during the night and realized that he was talking in his sleep…in ASL. That means he woke up and realized that he was signing while he was snoozing. 😂

Learning to Lead

Last week I was informed that Malia had been selected as the Leader of the Month in her class at school. We were invited to a special lunch that would be held for all the kids who were honored this month. Kev had to work, but late this morning Nathan and I were able to join Malia for this event in honor of her achievements. The kids were all treated to a happy meal from McDonald’s, which unfortunately is not safe for Malia. But this is not our first rodeo, so we rode in with an alternate lunch in hand which featured some of Malia’s favorites: a turkey and cheese sandwich from Jimmy John’s, cheddar cheese Pringles, Fudge Stripe cookies and orange juice, her beverage of choice. We have also promised her a dinner at Crown Burger since she couldn’t eat the nuggets and fries that the school provided as a special treat to all this month’s leaders.

I’m so proud of Malia and her choices at school. She is standing out in good ways and is moving outside her comfort zone and social circle to try things that make her nervous and get to know other kids. Her very first week of safety patrol duty was last week and although she was a bit anxious about the responsibility associated with being selected as the safety patrol team captain, she did a fantastic job, and everything ran smoothly. She is also looking outside her normal, small circle of friends and has gotten to know some new people this year. I think she is happier having a few more people she feels comfortable with rather than being alone if one specific friend is not at school. 

I hope she will continue to make good choices and as such, to stand out as a good leader, a good student, and a good person.

Let Them Eat Cake…and Cookies…and Bao…

Today is Matthew’s birthday. He is officially halfway between being a teenager and hitting his twenties. But if I think about it that way, it gets too real too fast, so I’ll just stick with the actual number which is fifteen. Matthew gave up themed birthday cakes and parties quite a few years ago, even younger than the other boys if I remember correctly, so things were super laid back. 

We celebrated Matthew’s birthday with my family on Sunday. It also happened to be the Sunday we celebrated Chinese New Year, which worked out perfectly because Matthew loves bao, wontons and rice, all of which were on the menu. To go with the Chinese theme, he selected Chinese Almond Cookies as his birthday treat. The fun thing about the cookies this time around is the fact that Daniel designed and 3D printed a cookie stamp for me as part of an assignment last semester. It has the Chinese character for family, which is perfect since celebrating our cultural heritage is a big part of our family life. He forgot to flip the image so it would be oriented correctly when stamped, but he is working on making a new one which will stamp things the right direction. Details aside, it works great and the cookies looked fantastic!

I usually let the kids select the menu for dinner on their birthday, but I didn’t let Matthew choose this year. I knew, however, that he would be totally fine with my food selections. We had bao, potstickers, teriyaki beef, and rice, all homemade and from scratch, as I’ve been expanding my Chinese food repertoire over the past several years. It is like Matthew’s most favorite menu ever. He got to eat Chinese food twice in one week and was terribly happy about it. In fact, he liked it so much that he had to get a second plate to hold all the tasty options. Matthew did choose the cake though, and opted to go with cinnamon swirl cake, an all-time family favorite. He wasn’t too keen on lots of candles this year, but he did let us use one and sing to him.

Gift wise, Kev and I gave Matthew a cool Lego Ironman set, another plastic airplane model (just in case what he got for Christmas was not enough to last him until the next gift giving event), and some Cat in the Hat socks. The socks are identical to a pair he got for Christmas a couple of years ago. Several months ago, I noticed that the Cat socks had huge holes in the heels, and he was wearing them over another pair of socks. When queried, he told me they were his favorite socks, and he was doubling up so he could continue to wear them. I decided a new pair of striped Cat in the Hat socks was in order and was able to purchase another pair. Nathan handed Matthew some cold hard cash to help pay for a new watch band for his Apple watch. Malia is in the process of drawing him a dragon. She’s not done yet but is working on a special drawing just for Matthew. 

Matthew has a few friends coming over on Saturday evening to round out his celebrations. He doesn’t want special treats or anything, just some fruit snacks. The invite list includes only about six people and the plan is to play some board games and watch a movie, so it should be a fairly mellow gathering. Mellow or otherwise, being able to spend time with friends is good and I’m so grateful for this little group of friends that has stuck with and supported him for years. 

As Matthew has gotten older, he and Daniel have become pretty good friends. In fact, Daniel texts Matthew far more often than he reaches out to Kev and I and we are ok with that. Matthew and Nathan don’t bicker as much as they did when they are younger, and I think they are on track to being friends as well. I love to see their relationships strengthen as they get older and they hang out with each other by choice, not just by default of blood ties. Matthew loves playing his trumpet, especially if he is playing jazz, and the joy he finds in the music is evident in his face. He really enjoys being on the stage crew at the middle school and has a particular passion for lighting. His favorite card game is “And it Came to Pass” and he can hardly wait to get his braces off so he can eat Starburst again. His food preferences have expanded over the past year or so and he has discovered that he likes some things he was never willing to try in the past. His food limitations are always a hurdle for him in a variety of different ways, but he has learned that being a careful and responsible eater doesn’t have to be boring. 

When I think about the place that Matthew has in our family, I think about the fact that having a third boy was a bit hard for me emotionally. However, it didn’t take me long to realize that Matthew was a much-needed addition to our family. By the time he was born, Kev and I had become too serious, a bit worn down by the realities of life. Matthew, in all his toddler glory, helped us learn to laugh again. And we sorely needed it. Even now, paging through the blog books from his younger years is a surefire way to lighten my mood. I can’t imagine our family without him. 

Oh, and as a last thought, Matthew already has an appointment made at the Driver’s License Division so he can get his learner’s permit. He’s soooo excited about that!

The Official Tags Have Arrived

With home MTC becoming an increasingly common occurrence, one of the things the soon to be missionaries await with anticipation is the arrival of their official missionary tags in the mail. Nathan’s arrived today. He’s so excited he can hardly see straight.

We All Have Different Talents

As I’ve mentioned in the past, Malia has a knack for drawing. Not only does she enjoy it, but she has a talent. For about the past year, she has been focusing on drawing dragons. Nathan gave her a book about how to draw dragons for Christmas in 2020, and since then, all her practice has paid off and she has become quite skilled. She was working on a new drawing this afternoon and Nathan, by way of complimenting her skills, commented that he can only draw stick figure dragons. Then, smart aleck that he is, he proceeded to do so. Both Malia and I laughed. And then about twenty minutes later, Malia shared her progress on her current drawing. I love that my kids are all so different. It makes things interesting and keeps me on my toes. 

Food=Love

It is a well-established fact that I love fun food. But what makes food fun? Is it the fact that there is an immense satisfaction in turning something edible into art? Is it because I know that the end result will taste as good as it looks? Is it because it is a fun way to extend the celebration of a holiday? While all of those things are contributing factors, they are only part of the equation for me. The biggest component is the pleasure it brings to the people I love.

Today we took the food=love equation one step further and made edible Valentines. Cookie cutters and a bit of color can work wonders for a simple pancake, and both came into play this morning. My freeze-dried strawberry pancakes turned out more purple than pink, probably due to the wheat flour I use in my pancakes, but they tasted delicious, especially when paired with fresh strawberry hearts and flounces of whipped cream. Next time I might try adding a bit of red food coloring to the batter to see if I can deepen the color, but other than that, the pancakes were a hit. My kids happily partook of the morning love fest, and we all started the day with smiles on our faces. 

Some Things Never Change

As all my kids have grown up, I’ve noticed that they have personality traits and habits that stay with them even as they learn and grow. These are things like the way they hold their fork, their tendency to stand a certain way or their food preferences. Where Malia is concerned, some of those traits were evident before she was ever born. In her ultrasounds, of which there were many due to my age being over 35 and my tendency towards gestational diabetes, she always had her ankles crossed and tucked up tight underneath her little bottom. It made determining her gender troublesome. As a baby, she did the exact same thing. Even when she was old enough to sit up in the highchair, she would cross her ankles ever so daintily. She has hated green beans since her very first mouthful. She is still a people person, talking comfortably with nearly everyone (a tendency that led me to have many conversations about stranger danger when she was just a toddler and preschooler). One of my favorite pictures of Malia as a baby is one where she is laughing. She would throw her head back and give in to glee. She still does that, leaning her head back to she can have a good laugh.

I had another one of those “she is still the same person” moments today. Nathan, Malia and I went out to lunch and then to see a movie. At lunch she was eating chicken fingers and French fries-her typical eating out meal of choice for most of her life (although she is beginning to expand her choices nowadays). She just happened to get one enormously long fry and told me that we should put it on the blog. Five years ago, we went to see Disney on Ice and then out to dinner afterward. Although she is twice as old and twice as tall now, the scenario was identical. 

Some things never change. I think that is one of the things I love the most about the gospel. We know we existed before our earth lives. We know we will continue to exist after this life. We know that our personalities and the knowledge and skills we gain in this life will remain with us. That means that in the eternities, I will still get to watch Malia throw back her head for a good laugh. And she will probably still think an enormous French fry is newsworthy material. I hope she never loses that sense of wonder and whimsy for the interesting things life has to offer and always finds joy in the simple things.