Quotes of the Week

"Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open." 
-- Laura Bush 

"The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace." 
-- Carlos Santana 

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." 
-- John Wayne

 "Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand." 
-- Karl A. Menniger 

Quotes of the Week

"Take your job seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously." 
-- Alex Trebek 

"Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it'll always get you the right ones." 
-- John Lennon

"If an egg is broken by outside force, Life ends. If broken by inside force, Life begins. Great things always begin from inside."
-- Jim Kwik 

"My favorite things in life don't cost any money. It's really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time." 
-- Steve Jobs 

Quotes of the Week

"There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness." 
-- Han Suyin 

"F-E-A-R has two meanings: 'Forget Everything And Run' or 'Face Everything And Rise.' The choice is yours." 
-- Zig Ziglar

 "Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." 
-- Lao Tzu 

"We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday's burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it." 
-- John Newton 

Taking Care of Grandchildren in Houston

Jacob had planned many, many months--even years ago--to go on a cruise in February, 2016. It was on the calendar waaaaaay before I  planned to have surgery on my feet. I had committed to him long ago that I would fly to Houston to watch his children so he and Laurie could enjoy their cruise vacation.

It had been 6 1/2 weeks since surgery, my doctor okayed the trip, encouraged me to stay off my feet as much as possible while there and off I went.

Look at these five darlings sitting there eating the New Orleans Mardi Gras king cake Jacob had received from his work.

Thankfully Glen had met me in and worked from Jacob's home on Friday and was able to spend that long weekend with me and the children. He treated us to dinner at Outback after the children got home from school.

With Glen's suggestion and Natalie's help, Logan and Luke got their Valentine's Day homework and Valentine's box made and their names written on the Valentines to hand out the following week.

Natalie entertained us (and mostly Claire) with watching all the music videos Sarah has made featuring various members of the family. She even got the idea to play one simultaneously on her phone while Glen played it on his iPad.

On Saturday we made a trip to the library. I thought this depiction of Captain Underpants made for an interesting display.

Since we were all starving after the library, we went to Olive Garden for a late lunch. It is a favorite restaurant for each one of these children.

Glen had bribed the boys getting their Valentines finished with a reward of a Tutti Frutti treat Saturday evening after Emma left for her birthday party.

Family fun time Sunday evening was watching the first part of the Super Bowl while eating popcorn and candy.

Glen had completely spoiled me the days he was there and I was sad to see him leave early Monday morning. Back to Minnesota he flew.

But rest assured, I was not left without help. Natalie was a champ waking up her brothers at 6:10 every morning so they could get dressed and ready for school. She also made their breakfast and packed their lunch boxes. Every morning! She was amazing!

That left me with this little girl to take care of each day. She knew what she wanted and would always let me know. This day it was chicken nuggets.

Another day she wanted cereal.

Playing toys, reading stories and putting puzzles together were our daytime activities while the other children were at school.

 

Claire was happy to see her brothers and sisters when they arrived home after school. This particular day she joined in with Logan eating a snack of waffles with butter, powdered sugar and whip cream on them.

One day my friend Rebecca Billat came over to visit for a while. I had been prepping Claire all morning for her arrival telling her one of my friends was coming to see me.

Claire was excited to open the door and as soon as she saw Rebecca, she got all indignant and firmly declared, "She's not YOUR friend, she's MY friend!!!" Then she insisted on sitting on Rebecca's lap and for the duration of the visit.

Truly, Claire has seen Rebecca Billat a lot more than I have during the time they have lived in Houston. Little did Claire understand that Rebecca has been my friend since way back when we both lived in Georgia at the same time.

It was so great when the ward boundaries got realigned shortly after Jacob and Laurie moved to Houston to have the Billats in Jacob's ward. That is when Rebecca Billat was called to be Relief Society President in their ward and she and Laurie were able to work together.

I was sad to learn that their ward boundaries recently got realigned once again and now Billats are in the new ward. I missed seeing her at church on Sunday, so I was really glad she had wanted to come over for a visit.

As always happens, I came home to find several of Natalie's selfies on my phone. Her self-portraits always make me smile because she has so much fun taking the photos.

She is a cute little teenager who definitely put herself on the back burner all week as she selflessly served her siblings and her grandmother before worrying about herself.

A shout-out goes to Emma for being Natalie's able assistant and especially for letting Claire sleep in her bed. Between the two of them, they had everything running as smoothly as could be and I appreciated it so very much.