Miracles and Mayhem: From last week...

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Dear Family,

Happy Birthday to Chad! We are grateful for your consistent goodness and steadiness. We’ve loved hearing about the preparation for the temple rededication. The fact that you’re working on this shows that the Lord knows His servants and all that they can do. It’s also another wonderful blessing for us to learn about your service. Wesley has been quizzing me on movies that I (still) need to see and our favorite experiences have always been watching them with you (even “The Stupids”); maybe it’s your sense of humor and the way laughter just erupts. You’re just fun to be around. We love you!

Well, we’re back: “Deep in the Heart of Texas!” My parents have teased me that soon I’ll be one of those people with the bumper sticker that says, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could!” The reality is that I’ve learned that we can love any place, but it really helps to be familiar with it. Cockroaches? We can handle that now (two years ago was another story). Heat? We know it’ll temper down by October. Clay? We can compost and figure out the dirt then garden all year! Except August. We missed that month, though. We feel overwhelmed by our blessings both here and in Colorado. Our time in both areas has seemed like a spiritual tutorial. We’re grateful to learn and grow. Thinking about all we’re given makes me a little emotional. Things I took for granted glisten a little more moving back: beds!, couches, books, bookshelves, pictures, food storage—little things that don’t really matter, yet give finishing touches to a home. I’m glad to settle and wash floorboards and light fixtures even if it takes me a while. The house is just abundant. It even has pecan trees! The boys love the sunroom/now playroom. They love the (fenced) yard and deck. The neighborhood thus far has been diverse, friendly, and quiet. We started preparing our garden spot yesterday. Most of the boxes pile disassembled, waiting for reorganization, in the attached garage (wow, an attached garage. A garage!). I walk around wondering how we have so much. So many closets and shelves, so much space, a shower that Wes calls a carwash because of its many nozzles and sheer size, so many windows we almost struggled figuring out where to put our tons and tons of furniture. All of this is just stuff. It reminds me how much we need to give to others, how abundantly blessed we are.

Christine said that we ride the “Blessing Train” and it’s true. The night before we left people picked up both of our tables. Someone bought Wesley’s bike. A need came up for Levi’s little temporary mattress. My friend surprised me Friday afternoon by showing up and staying until I’d finished packing up and loading out. The boys travelled here with song and crackers and trucks quite pleasantly. As we drove, Lincoln pulled off socks and shoes, stuck apples in his toes and ate them. Then he played “This Little Piggie” with a long “WEEEEEEEEE!” at the end. Wesley found a 28 book set of World War II encyclopedias basically untouched at the library in Miriam which now holds a prominent position with the rest of the war bookshelf.

On Monday, our long 9 ½ hour stretch, we only stopped once because they did so well. Wesley swerved to avoid some chairs in the middle of the freeway. He pulled off, traffic miraculously cleared, and he removed the chairs from the road. Levi shouted, “Dad a hero!” True statement in many ways. Christine saved us with her driving; since I could shift around my contractions and next day recovery basically didn’t exist. Christine just saved us. She washed all the windows. She played with boys. She pampered us. She told us about her callings and her thoughts, which are always uplifting and inspiring to hear. Those blessed, blessed women in her stake! We loved watching her talk with Creed and Renel and their tender relationship. We loved staying with Creed and Renel in general; what a great spirit about them. She hauled our stuff in and out of cars and into rooms. She kept peace and kept me sane (even as she wondered why in the world scrubbing mostly clean walls was necessary at early hours in the morning—she went along with my craziness!). The boys want to know when Grandma will come back.

Seeing the Longmores and Wilsons definitely enhanced our trip. Kelley and Diana hauled most of our stuff from the Golden apartment down three floors and into our van. What a gift! Kelley impressed us with his sweetness with the boys, musical abilities, and the fact that he always seemed to be doing something useful without letting anyone know. Good catch, Diana! I wish we could have had more time with everyone—so come visit! Maybe I’ll find my brain. If not, maybe Rosey will find it tucked away under her piano with our extra socks and whatever else we probably left there!

Levi has been telling me that he’ll be five soon like “Lanny and Spence.” And suddenly he’s a “super hero!” which he must have gleaned from them. He picked up some great older brothering tips that we’re still seeing. Hurrah for cousins! Throwing five boys in a tub may not be the best way to get clean, but it was sure cute! Lincoln rediscovered his love for lawnmowers; this may be something he and Chad talked about in the premortal realm as they both stare at them and play with them with deep reverence. When I picked up Lincoln from nursery, he and Chad sat on a leader’s lap holding hands. Darling. While Rosey hosted a party of the ages seamlessly and graciously and cheerfully (all of which left me in complete awe), Lincoln discovered a hidden tub of Vaseline and smeared it everywhere. I guess he needed moisturizing more than I realized! It took a few days of scraping to work it out of his hair. The only part that bothered him was the thick goop covering his vision. Goofball.

Before we left Colorado, the boys and I visited the Museum of Science and Natural History on their free day. They liked the bean bags the best, then the dinosaur bones. Better luck in a few years. We celebrated our fifth anniversary by going to the temple and performing sealings. What a glorious five years! And we have eternity! One of our older neighbors in the complex stopped to talk to me and the boys the day before we left (we were out playing with rocks). He told me that he and his wife had been watching me and Wes with the boys and that they admire our investment in our children and the time we spend “where it counts.” He told me that as long as we do our best, our boys will learn to be accountable for their choices. I kind of felt like an angel had come down and hugged me. It’s great to share the team jersey with Wesley and my boys. They are the best. Wesley works and works and works and then he asks what else he can do. He started school again on Thursday, happy to return to his research and his projects as he sets out his plan for the next two years. His ability to focus and accomplish one thing at a time without distraction just floors me. Then he comes home and melts my little edgy, impatient heart.

And there is more, so much more. Unfortunately, my brain has hiccupped in the midst of wonder and exhaustion. The abridged version will have to do for all of us. Even my prayers have been something of a “whaaaaaahaaaawow!” Let that be our record.

We love you. Thank you for all of your help and prayers!