Update

1. When I learned that President Hinckley died, I was on the phone with Mamaw Clara and she was telling me about her health concerns when Zack said to me, "President Hinckley died." I gasped very loudly in Mamaw's ear. Apparantly, she couldn't hear me because she just went on talking. I guess I'm not surprised, and not really sad, but I will definitely miss him. The kids were saying that he is the only prophet they have known. That is true. He did so many important things from building temples to meeting with the press and "bringing the church out of obscurity". What a wonderful man he was. I know he is having a wonderful reunion with his Marjorie!

2. I am tending a sore toe! I fell last Friday--a week ago--coming out of the beauty shop, slipped on the water and fell on my foot. It hurts so bad. Not constantly, but when it hurts, it really hurts.


3. BTW, my computer will not allow me to post the word descibing young females that starts with a "G".

4. Mamaw Clara had a wreck last week on Monday. She pulled out in front of another driver. It was quite serious and totaled her car and probably the other car as well. But, ever the optomist and independent, she purchased a NEW car just 2 days later. She got a really good deal on the new one. I love her independence. She does not want to be a burden on anyone, as if she could be, but still. She would hate having to depend on someone else. She also knows what her limits are. She paces herself, but pushes herself, too. She inspires me in many ways. I am very grateful for my relationship with her.

5. On Wednesday, we attended the Stake Standard's Night. It was so great. The Young Men sang Walk Tall You're a Daughter to the Young Women. Now, I have always loved that song, but, I have a whole new appreciation for it now. The words took on a whole new meaning being said from the young men to the young women. I am so thankful for that opportunity the young men had to sing it, too. Alex actually sang with them at my prompting at the last minute. I know that if all the young men could know that they were looking for a of virtue and every and guy tried hard to be that, then the world would truly be a different place. I love the standards we have been given. In know that they keep us safe and bring us peace.

January attacked!!

In response to my friend Mary Ruth who was lamenting the blah days of January: I have to disagree with you though. I love this weather. I love to stay home and feel snuggly all the time. I love the overcast skies and the bare trees. I love that it is cold and we need a fire. I love hot chocolate. I don't always like blue skies with the sun beating down. That is what sun equals here is HOT, and I don't like to be hot. So, bring on the cloudy, rainy, cold days of January:)

Emma and the American Doll Store

Hi, I'm Emma. Last November I went to the American Doll store. I had to raise money and use my birthday money to have enough to buy what I wanted. I got a lot of the things that I wanted. It was so much FUN!

In the Hollow of Thy Hand

Ok, with full disclosure, as I tell funny stories about my children all the time, I must tell this story on myself. Emma had her friend, Jamie, spend the night on Friday. We had a good time: we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for supper, and then the Big s and Heather Zimmerman and I watched a few episodes of Gilmore s. I was up pretty late and had every one tucked in and the lights off. They WERE all asleep, for sure, no doubt. So, I went to my room, got undressed, and went to bed. I fell asleep with the TV and the lamp on. Sometime during the night I hear an voice saying, "Andrea, Andrea, I'm taking Jamie, she called me to come pick her up." I roll over to see Martha Dalton, who is Jamie's mother and has been 2 of our children's teacher standing by my bed as I lay there in my underwear, covered up, but still..................I couldn't get out of the bed, so I lamely layed there and said, "oh, ok. sorry." They made there way out of the house I assume. I did call her the next day and explain how sorry I was and that I was so out of it. She said Jamie woke up really stuffy and then couldn't go back to sleep, so she found a phone and called her mom. Pretty scary when you think about it. She could have gone outside or gotten into something. She is a pretty laid back mom and just laughed about it. Thank goodness. Stock pile that one into the Christmas party telling stories.

On a different note, today at church was Taylor Pogue and Mathew Sorenson's mission farewell. They gave great talks during which Taylor was a little emotional, which meant that others were very emotional. There was such a sweet spirit there. I'm getting emotional writing about it. And, then, the youth sang "In the Hollow of Thy Hand". I can't help but think about Alex and Taylor (big Taylor, as he was called at our house). They were such good friends. It's hard to think of them all grown up, but wonderful to see the strong young men that they are.

Wow, that was really wonderful. Alex, Ryan, and Jacob Rollins sang a verse of it. It was beautiful. I kept thinking about the words of that song and how that is really my prayer. I pray that Heavenly Father will hold each of these wonderful spirits he sent to me in the Hollow of His hand, and that he will also hold me in the hollow of His hand.

Protect him from all worldly ways
And always send thy spirit when he prays
Give him the courage of a righteous man
Just hold him in the hollow of thy hand.

Googling this song the only actual music I found was this version. I couldn't help making it MY song!

Holy Cow!

So, we were sitting in line on this rainy morning to drop the Maplewood kids off to school. As usual the traffic was very backed up, so to save time when the girls were ready to get out, I told them to go ahead and switch places and let Sarah Beth get by the door she would need to get out of. She stood up with her back to me when I noticed a bunch of NOODLES and sauce stuck to her bottom. As she continued to move and after I yelled "Sarah Beth!!" she smeared it across the seat and then the door. She SAT on a Lean Cuisine dish that Emma had left in the car on the seat the night before. What a mess. Luckily, I had some napkins in the glove compartment and we cleaned her up. We then speculated about what would have happened if I had not noticed until she was walking into the school. We just knew we could smell noodles, so I got the purfume in my make-up back and squirted her bottom. That could only happen to Sarah Beth (or me, I might add). Just another story of Sarah Beth and her food issues!

MITT wins MICHIGAN!!

It is a good night. I have lots of hope and excitedment. I even went to buy a King Cake to celebrate. Not a good idea on the weight front, but, hey, somethings need celebrating. I was happy to make phone calls to Michigan residents on Sunday. I only made about 30 calls, but it was fun and people there were very nice. Much nicer than those in New Hampshire when I made calls there. It was a fun thing to do. So, tonight I received two texts that made me happy and laugh my shoulder laugh. First, from Mary Catherine,
"Mitt is victorious!"
So happy that she cares. All of the kids do. They are very interested in such things and ask lots of questions and offer lots of opinions. I have to try very hard to show them I value their opinion even when it is different from mine. The second text was from Zack and Alex
"Fox News has reported that multiple Michigan voters say that a phone call from one Andrea Zachary persuaded them to vote for Mitt"
Aren't they cute? and hilarious? I wish. I would love to convince someone of the advisability of voting for Mitt. He is the right candidate! It's a good night.

FHE and So On!

We tried so hard to have FHE tonight and granted I wasn't really prepared; just grabbed something I had printed from the computer and it wasn't all that great and most of all, I just wasn't feeling it. BUT....we were trying! But the kids were just not cooperating. It frustrates me so much. They interupt, have side conversations, start talking to me or Zack while we are bearing our testimonies or telling a special story. I don't understand. So, of course, I fussed...and fussed.....and then tried to get the Spirit there for the rest of the lesson. Let me just say, that is not an easy thing. We finally finished the lesson and played "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?" It was fun to tease Sarah Beth about making up the rules as she goes along because after all she is the Little Sister General. She can get those s to do ANYTHING. They were much more successful playing by themselves than we were tonight. Mass confusion is the only way I can think to describe it.

The BIGs and I went for a walk and picked up Whitney and Evan on the way to the track. Sarah Beth and I walked together and talked and talked. She was telling me she wanted to start having a schedule because she started piano againg today and needs to have a specific time to practice. So we decided on a schedule and talked about healthy treats she can have after school. The other kids were running all over and sprinting past us. They are really fast, but we had a nice walk and ran some of the curves.

Mary Catherine has been chosen for Mardi Gras Court at school. She needs a really nice dress to wear to be presented and she wanted an orange dress. So, I looked online at some modest dress websites. She of course like to make fun of them. Then she remember that Whitney wore an orange dress for Ivy's wedding. We picked it up after our walk. She was afraid it would be too small, but it looks really good on her. It is perfect. Whitney even has the shoes! I told her we could look for some jewelry and get her nails done. She is really excited even though she has always acted like she wasn't interested in things like this. She is such a beautiful . The boys were giving her tips on walking in the high heals and what she should do with her hair. They were hilarious. At one point Alex said, "wait, what do I care about a dress?" He couldn't help himself. Those boys will be great husbands!

Socks

Well, not really much to report. I slept till 11:00 this morning and believe it or not I just yawned as I wrote that. I have only been awake for 11 hours. Should I really be yawning right now? And yet I am. I just read a very funny post on a blog about laundry and socks. Look here. I live under the mountain of laundry. I actually do ok keeping the laundry washed, but getting it folded and put away is a ridiculous job. AND SOCKS.....I can't even begin to stay on top of this job. I usually get them folded about every 6 weeks---usually longer. Zack thinks it is a wonderful day when he actually has socks in his closet. But, I totally relate to the match thing. Many, many times at the end of the day, Taylor will be walking around in his socks. One sock will be his own and fit and the other will be one of Emma's and stretched to the limit, clinging to his toes and heel. Not a match....doesn't seem to bother him, but drives me crazy. So glad the shoes are on during the day, but it really ruins poor Emma's socks. She wears a size 12 in children's and he wears a 12 MEN'S. Quite the difference. Not appropriate for sock sharing.

Geaux Tigers!!!

So, the LSU Tigers won the National Championship tonight! It was an awesome game. This officially ends the holiday season at our house. What an end. Taylor started the day not feeling well, but by the time he came home from school he was prepared for game time and feeling fine. Thank goodness, we couldn't have enjoyed the game if Taylor, the biggest fan, was sick! We had the Pogue's and the Newton's over to watch. The kid's watched out in the office on the projection screen. It was nice and quiet in the house. I decided the best place to be on a night like tonight was in the band. How fun would that be to get to watch and make lots of noise. They looked like they were having a blast.

In other news, I called voters in New Hampshire for Mitt Romney's campaign today. What cool experience that was. I got cussed at by a couple, agreed with from a few, questioned extensively by one teen, but mostly hung up on. It was really fun. Lily and I played Memory on the desk while I made the calls and Alex sat by me through most of it and laughed and laughed. I hope I did even a little good. I was able to answer the teen questions pretty well. Too bad he won't be old enough to vote in the election.

Also, Mary Catherine had her interview for Student of the Year this morning. She did a great job and had an oportunity to discuss the church, and her future at BYU and medical school. They asked her if she would serve a mission and if she had to serve. She told them she would decide later, if she didn't get married early! Sounds like she really handled herself with poise. She said,"I looked them in the eye like you told me to." I'm so proud of her.

In the Kitchen!

I posted about Mary Catherine and Sarah Beth helping in the kitchen lately. So much so that Santa brought them aprons and me one, too. Aren't they cute. I love working with them. Tonight, Mary Catherine made zuchinni bread using Splenda. Good for no sugar! She refused to cooperate with this picture because she wanted me to do something else.

By the way, there have been 2 great presidential debate on the last two nights. The whole family is excited about Mitt. They love to watch and then ask me what I think about what was said. Scary for them that I am their political analyst.

Mary Catherine worked on her Student of the Year application. She had to write a Biographical Sketch, and she did a wonderful job. Tomorrow is the interview and she has to dress up. Big dilemma! She is definitely MY student of the year. Good luck, Mary Catherine.

2 Weeks of Catch Up!!

We have had quite a couple of weeks. We have celebrated two important birthdays, Christmas, official opening of Zack's new location, had company, and went to a temple sealing in Houston. First was Emma's 8th birthday on December 13 followed by her party on the last day of school on the 18th. She had seven little s sleep over. She assured me that I had promise her last year that she could do it this year. I don't know what she is talking about. They actually were pretty good. We were making gingerbread houses at midnight with icing and candy all over, but we had a great time. No crying even. Emma is really growing up and maturing.

Then we had to finish shopping, cook, and pack for Jena. A new thing this year is that Mary Catherine and Sarah Beth have been helping with the cooking. I love to have them in the kitchen with me.

The kids and I left on Friday to go to GranJan's and Zack joined us on Saturday after a special event at Zack's. We had fun in Jena and, of course, closed Wal-Mart several nights. We had 17 people in the house for 4 nights. We had a great time and were happy to come home. We had a Family Home Evening on Sunday night that went really well. We read a talk by Elder Nelson about his testimony of Christ. Claire and I played piano pieces and had a roaring fire. It was a really nice night. On Monday, Christmas Eve, we cooked all day since GranJan had no oven. She borrowed a roaster that sits on the counter and we baked in it. It was huge and in the way, but we improvised and actually sat down to eat at 6:30. Maybe the roaster was a better idea afterall. We opened gifts that night. It was lots of fun. We all had fun revealing our Secret Santa's, although by then the only surprises were for Emma and Lily. Despite Santa finishing fairly early, I was exhausted Christmas morning. The kids slept later than the Methvins which I thought was funny. They had bragged about how they ALWAYS had to wake the Methvins up. Not this time! I think everyone was very happy and satisfied. They had a great time looking without touching first and then digging in. Santa brought each of them a case of their favorite treat this year. Mary Catherine got a case of FUSE, Sarah Beth a case of Propel, Taylor 20 packs of gum, Alex Cheezits, Emma a tub of Bubble Gum, and Lily Fruit roll ups and snacks. Along with each a pack of blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries, that was all in the stockings. I think they liked that. Mary Catherine and Sarah Beth have been hording their drinks and smartly keeping them in their rooms. Taylor took their example, but the rest were gone rather quickly.

We decided to leave Jena and come home on Christmas Day because Stephanie and Tara were here with their families and would be leaving the next morning. So somehow we loaded everyone up and got home about 5:00pm. What a mess we had. Kate came home with us. We then had Christmas at the Zachary's and visited with them awhile.

For the next couple of days we prepared for our company by putting away all the new things. I was glad for company coming so we had to get things put away quickly. Everyone came on Thursday night, all 15 of us in the house. We shopped on Friday while Zack and Ted brought some of the kids down to Cameron. They had fun and we did too. Mary Catherine did some of her birthday shopping. GranJan bought her a black skirt, jeans, and a couple of shirts. She did really good finding some sales and things she really needed and wanted. I got her a couple of hoodies, a cute top, and a bra. She still had one gift to open on her birthday. Happy Birthday, wonderful

On Saturday, we got ready for Emma's baptism. She was so excited. We had been talking to her about what baptism means. She had talked to the bishop a couple of weeks ago and it didn't go so well. He said she acted like she didn't know anything! Maybe she didn't! I felt alot of pressure to get this little really ready to be baptized. I think she was ready. This was a very special day for me because Alex actually baptized Emma. I was so proud of him. He did a wonderful job and was very sweet and patient with her. Young men honoring their priesthood is one of my favorite things in this world. My son honoring his priesthood ranks even higher. Taylor will baptize Lily when she is 8. He will be in his first year of college and Alex will be on his mission! I already miss them!

All of our visitors left the next day, on Sunday after church. A little time to ourselves. On New Year's Eve Emma and Lily were invited to a sleepover at the Young's. They had a great time with sparklers and movies. They tell me they stayed up all night!?! Lily did call us about every hour to check in. She has started using the phone all the time lately, calling the Young's often, and our house from the cell phones telling us we "won a million dollars!" My baby is growing up. At home we had the missionaries over for dinner about 8:00. We had chips and dip and tortilla soup. The missionaries gave us a lesson and we played the tie game where we had to pass the ties around the circle and try not to be stuck with 2 ties at once. It was really fun. We had Whitney here, too. Then we all made predictions for 2008 and watched Hairspray. Another musical we all love now.

On New Year's Day Zack left to go hunting at about 4:00 am. When he got back at noon (with no deer) we went to his parents for traditional cabbage and black eyed peas. Then on to the reception at the church for Dean Newton and Jenni Rollins. It was so nicely decorated with Christmas trees and lights strung across the ceiling. Everything was very nice. I really like this idea of the reception before the wedding. All there was left to do was go to the sealing and enjoy. Very nice idea. We left there and went vacuum hunting. Yeah!!! Angela and Mama tried to get me to get a vacuum when they were here, but I knew not to buy something cheap or I would never get a nice one. Zack is much better to shop for those things with. After shopping at Sear's and then securing a coupon from Susan Duplantis we decided to get the Dyson Animal from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Should mean a clean house, right?

That night Mary Catherine had all her friends over for a sleepover. I was up until 2:00 with them. Teenagers of opposite es up by themselves is not a good idea. Therefore I stayed up. They convinced Alex to bring them to the store for King Cake at about midnight. They were a little wild. Fun stuff.

Zack and I headed off to the temple the next morning for the sealing of Dean Newton and Jenni Rollins. Everything was really nice and I realize just how young I must have looked when I got married. Because they sure ARE young. Wow! What a scary proposition. And they are about 3 1/2 years older than I was.

I hope this isn't too boring. Just a recap of our holiday season. Today is Saturday, January 5, and I am still in my PJs sitting in front of the computer. Lots of projects going on. Scrapbooking, making birthday gifts for primary, and blogging. Great day for UP!!!!!