Adventures I Should Have Blogged

No posts in nearly two months means that LOTS of life here at the Woody Hacienda and Wonderwood Academy has not been documented. There have been way too many adventures between then and now to attempt to even highlight them. I have to be satisfied with a list. Here it is, in chronological order:

October 12, 19, and 26 Angel Choir rehearsals - We're loving the experience!

October 17-19 Trip to San Diego to celebrate Woody's birthday. Of course, it was also an "extended field trip." We had a great time adventuring at Balboa Park, Old Town, the trolley tour, missions, the Point Loma lighthouse, and the Wild Animal Park.

October 23 The girls had their last piano lesson until after the holidays. Life is already starting to get crazy!!

October 25 Aunt Debby hung out with us and then joined us for the annual Trunk or Treat party at church. Jelly and the Doodle dressed as Renaissance witches. (Possibly influenced by our current Middle Ages/Renaissance studies, and the fact that Jelly wanted something a bit more "Halloweenish, but not scary." When Doodle saw the pretty costume, SHE wanted one JUST LIKE IT! To Jelly's credit, rather than being annoyed, she immediately responded that, "No, I don't mind. We can be twins!" I just pray that their close relationship endures the teen years.

October 29 Liahona Field Trip to Griffith Park Observatory - We're studying astronomy and this was our first trip to the observatory since it reopened after a HUGE renovation. It is amazing!

October 31 Our new family Halloween tradition is to let the girls dress up and then we have a family adventure. This year we utilized our membership to the Aquarium of the Pacific and hung out with our aquatic friends. Pumpkin pancakes at IHOP were a tasty treat to top off the holiday. (The girls definitely didn't need more candy - more than sufficient was obtained at the church Trunk or Treat.)

November 1 Woody began rehearsals (as the tenor soloist) for the 5th Annual Messiah Sing-Along, sponsored by the Yorba Linda Arts Alliance. It's a tradition that opens our Christmas season the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

November 4 Civics Field Trip - We voted and then watched the returns come in. You win some, you lose some. Enough said.

November 5 Liahona had our first quilting class at Heritage Park. We got a fabulous intro and mini history of quilting, a hands-on opportunity for kids and grown-ups to use a rotary cutter, and made decisions on what kind of quilts we want to make. We'll get supplies over the holidays, and begin in earnest after the first of the year. Cool.

November 8 and 13 Woody auditioned, was called back, and got the part of Zacharias in the Savior of the World presentation. Our enthusiasm continues to build as we share this experience as a family. His beard is really coming in and it's going to be a busy winter and spring!

November 9, 23, and 30 Angel Choir rehearsals continue as we prepare for a concert in December. Everyone is still enjoying the experience and the girls are getting an awesome musical education. It's a little daunting, but they're loving it!

November 12 Liahona takes a free field trip to Albertson's - with a focus on learning to be "Healthy Eaters". We weren't sure what to expect, but a great time was had by all, and we gots LOTS of free stuff!

November 14 The Primary kids had a special practice for their Sacrament Meeting presentation, "I Am a Child of God." This was Jelly's last. Next year at this time she will have been in the Young Women program for several months already. She is truly growing into a wonderful young lady.

November 15 The Freeway Complex fire burned closer than any we've experienced before. Our bishop's family, as well as two other families in our ward, lost their home. Half the ward was evacuated. Jelly was packed and ready to go. Doodle handled her fears by escaping into one of her favorite movies. Though it's been amazing to see the strength and love of our ward family as people step in to serve each other, I hope we never have that experience again.

November 16-19 Though the smoke was still in the air, we knew we were safe. After a unique Sacrament Meeting (folks were still evacutated from many areas) Woody traveled to San Francisco on business.

November 23 The Primary Sacrament Meeting Program, having been postponed a week due to the fire, was a resounding success. Both Jelly and Doodle put their whole hearts into singing and their speaking parts. Looking back on past programs, my mama heart was prilled (proud and thrilled) to see the way they have progressed each year to overcome their shyness and fears. Yes, the shyness and fears are still there, but did NOT stop them from sharing their growing testimonies through music and words.

November 27 We have SO much to be thankful for!!!

November 30 5th Annual Messiah Sing-Along. Aunt Debby spent the Thanksgiving holiday with us and joined us for the first seating of the sing-along. The girls and I are Woody's best fans, so we were there for BOTH seatings. We love supporting Daddy and we also love the way this experience helps to usher in the Christmas season with a jubilant spirit.

December The entire Woody family is busy rehearsing for special Christmas concerts, but none is busier than Woody himself!

December 1 Christmas School is in session at Wonderwood Academy. We are participating (along with God daughter, SwimChick) in a special HOAC Co-Op on the Twelve Days of Christmas. More on this later.

December 2 Our baby, the Doodlebug, is nine years old!! This was a year for a family celebration, so she got to plan the entire day's menus. She developed a love for hand sewing when she was tiny, watching her Grandma Joy, and still talks about how she used to "help" put in some of the stitches. Watching Aunt Debby work on her current project revived Doodle's desires for a project that she can do "by herself." So, her special birthday gift was to select a printed cross stitch project. She's making a pillow case with a princess design. So far, she's stitched two of the butterflies and is VERY happy.

December 5 For at least the third year (I need to check on this) we attended the Orange Stake's Creche and Christmas Concert. It was especially fun this year to look for nativities from the countries we have been and will be studying in our Christmas unit at Wonderwood. We'll be adding some of the pictures we took to the girls lap/notebook projects. The concert, featuring the Anaheim Mormon Chorale (where Woody sings tenor), brought even more of a truly tangible spirit to our holiday season.

December 6 In a new joint effort, the Chorale joined with the Yorba Linda Orchestra for a combined concert. We weren't sure just what to expect, and so were VERY pleasantly surprised at the quality of the orchestra's sound. Conditions were less than ideal for the chorale members, but in spite of staging challenges we thoroughly enjoyed yet another wonderful holiday musical experience.

December 7 An amazing testimony meeting set the tone for a special Sabbath. We then basked in the spirit of a quiet afternoon at home, followed by an earlier-than-usual Angel Choir rehearsal. Only one week left before we sing in our stake's Christmas Concert. The day was capped by the First Presidency Christmas Devotional broadcast from Salt Lake. We normally watch it at home, on BYU TV, but since we were already at church, we stayed to share the experience.

There is a place in our family traditions for the secular side of Christmas, but I've been really pleased with the out-of-balance emphasis that we've been able to maintain with the sacred, spiritual, "real reason for the season" so far this year.

Not to worry - the girls have had and will continue to have opportunities for the just-plain-fun parts of the holiday, too. Our tree is up and has lights on it, so far, and our family tradition of holiday movie watching has also begun. (A little later than usual this year, but finally begun.) We're decorating a bit at a time, so there are red and green boxes stacked in a couple of corners. Shopping is almost done, and crafting and baking are on the horizon.

Stay tuned for updates. :o)

Taxi Dad

I know, I know... it really ought to say "Taxi Mom", but if it did, it just wouldn't be true!

We are SO blessed in our home to have a Daddy that puts his love for his family right out there where everyone can see it! One of the blessings that makes that possible for more hours of the day is a job that allows the man of our house to work from home most days. No, he doesn't have a wonderful home office where he can close the door and seclude himself from the world to focus on his assignments/teleconferences/etc. He usually works, as of late, in the dining room, sitting in a definitely-not-ergonomic-very-ancient-swivel chair that has a part in his personal history and that squeaks whenever he moves, allowing the girls and I to take over the much more comfortable living room for school. (The girls either sit curled up on the big, comfy couch, with a clipboard when needed, or use some beautiful tray tables as their desks.) If Daddy Woody needs focus, he puts on his headphones. More often, though, he listens with one ear to what is going on at Wonderwood Academy. Many times he contributes to the discussion for a while, and then goes right back to "work."

Jelly, Doodle, and I left him there, trying to make his point in a virtual WebEx meeting, and went to a Relief Society cooking class. We spent the morning having a totally fun time learning how to decorate cupcakes from a real pro. Stacy De La Vega just started a new home-based business called Sugar Rush Sweets & Bakery. She gave us all kinds of great tips for decorating cupcakes that look like you bought them. Between her helpful demonstrations and the fellowship with the other ladies in the class, the girls and I had a fantastic time as we decorated our 18 cupcakes. We did some fancy swirly ones with sprinkles, some with hearts and flowers, some that looked like a day at the beach, a special holiday ornament, and one (limited frosting of the right color) that looked like a jack-o-lantern. So we left for home equipped with dessert for the next few days and an icing bag with two tips so that we can make more artistic cupcakes.

When we arrived at home, Wonder Daddy was ready and waiting to rescue me from my taxi duties. I knew without a doubt that my arthritis was NOT going to allow me to be the chauffeur for other adventure we had planned. Donning his chauffer's cap, (uh, his tan canvas not-just-for-fishing hat) he whisked the cupcakes to the safety of the air-conditioned kitchen while I willingly transferred to the passenger-side seat of the Wonderwood School Bus.

A brief stop to pick up a car-picnic-lunch and with Daddy at the wheel, 45 minutes later we had arrived at El Dorado Nature Center to meet our homeschool support group, our Liahona friends.

Equipped with a grid-map of the trail and a nature-based scavenger hunt list of items, Doodle, Jelly, their friends, moms, and our Wonder Daddy headed out for an afternoon of science combined in the best way with P.E. My sweetheart was willing to push my chair, but I didn't want the noise to get in the way of spotting timid wild creatures. While the group explored, I spent time in the little museum at the center attempting to read (in preparation for a discussion with the girls) but truly being hopelessly distracted by the gorgeous view of the small lake and meadow just outside.

When the nature walk had ended, I was greeted by an excited group. In spite of the unseasonalby warm weather, a great time was had by all. While the kids discovered the delights of the little museum, including hanging out in the kid-friendly reading corner, I chatted with the other moms.

Woody did some adventuring of his own, never once complaining, and discovered and purchased a few small surprises for the Woodyettes. He found a patch representing the center to add to Jelly's collection, and for the Doodle a rainbow-colored butterfly eraser for her pencil and a cute turtle pencil sharpener. (Watching the turtles lounge in the sunshine on the rocks as we cross the bridge to the museum here is a favorite tradition when we visit.)

But that isn't all he found. The girls have been fascinated by owls ever since Harry Potter got Hedwig from Hagrid. Wonder Daddy is planning an extension of today's science experience - he will be supervising the girls as they do owl pellet dissections. I promise to take pictures!

So, no taxi mom here. That title belongs to Daddy, and we are SO grateful that he enjoys the work so much.

The Sacred: Savior of the World

This summer, Woody has been teaching a six-week summer institute class at church titled "Savior of the World." You can actually get links to download audio of the classes here:

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lessons 5 and 6

I am, naturally, a bit biased, but even those who are not said that the summer institute course was a wonderful blessing in their lives. I most heartily concur. I thoroughly enjoyed ALL the sessions, and was, as Woody also expressed, sad to see them come to an end. But, though the classes have ended, my desire to learn more about and draw closer to our Savior has been reborn.

The direction Woody was given for this summer institute was to use the script for the Savior of the World production as a foundation, and then to provide a historical and spiritual background in order to help prepare the members of our stake to participate in the presentation of the production during the spring of 2009. You can download that script, and even the score and accompaniment and choir rehearsal tracks here.

If I had to come up with just one word to summarize, that word would be JOY!

My personal testimony and love for the Savior has grown so much. I do KNOW (through a personal witness of the Spirit) that Jesus' part in the Plan of Salvation makes it possible for us to have hope! There is so much in this world that causes us grief and pain, but it doesn't have to end there.

For example, how can we get through heart-rending grief? There are so many of our own family and friends that are suffering and have heartaches that seem beyond bearing. We can, here and now, have a personal manifestation of the Spirit that will bear record to us of the truthfulness of our Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation.
That personal testimony of a loving Father's awareness of each of His children, and of a blessed reunion in a heavenly hereafter can not only give us peace, but JOY! Instead of being distraught, we can be eagerly awaiting that reunion!

In the summer institute lessons, we discussed the fact that Mary always kept things and "pondered" them in her heart as she witnessed and experienced events in the life of her Son. What an amazing example that we should follow! Like Mary, we can also come to a real understanding of these life lessons.

As we learned of the time Jesus spent with his disciples before His Ascension, some other things spoke to my heart.
- Charity is not a single act, it is a state of being.
- It doesn't matter what others do, our purpose in life should be to focus on our personal mission.

I'm taking these verses as MY mission:

Doctrine and Covenants, Section 88 verses 118-120, 123-126:

118 And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.
119 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;
120 That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord; that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord; that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands unto the Most High.
123 See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires.
124 Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.
125 And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.
126 Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself. Amen.

Though I'm not (after three years) teaching monthly lessons in Relief Society anymore, I had the opportunity to substitute teach today. The topic was "Testimony," and was based on a talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, in conference this past April 2008. I closed the lesson by sharing my testimony, and I'd like to do that again now.

I know that our Heavenly Father’s Plan is in place because of His love for each one of us, His children. I know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our elder brother, and that the Atonement assures us the opportunity for eternal life. I know that the Prophet Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son, and restored the fullness of the gospel. I know that we have a prophet now, President Thomas S. Monson, who leads and guides us on our journey toward life with that same Father and Son. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

What does all this mean? The absolute bottom line is LOVE - sharing it, showing it, living it!

Who's in Charge of Your Village?

No one seems to be quite sure where the quotation originated, but many are quoting this these days:

"It takes a whole village to raise a child."

Does it?

If it does, as parents, it is our responsibility to make sure we choose the right village in which to raise our children. There are lots of villages out there that I don't want my children going anywhere near!!!

Now having said that, I am very grateful that we have wonderful support from many sources as we raise our daughters. There are some mighty incredible villages out there that add much to the quality of our lives.

Family – We know, unfortunately, that there are many who deal with unsupportive family – thankfully we’ve never had that particular challenge! Our extended family is completely wonderful, blessing our lives in oodles of ways. When someone is occasionally cranky, they don’t focus their frustrations on us. The girls love to show off their projects or tell about their latest adventure, and family makes a great audience. It’s even better when we can share the adventure together!! Muchas gracias, guys!!

In-Real-Life Friends – Near and far away, again we are supremely blessed! You know who you are, and what you do, and we appreciate you more than we can say. You are precious treasures!!

Church Family – Admittedly it took us a while to settle in, due to our own limited perspective, but for a long while now we have felt loved and supported by many we feel grateful to call brothers and sisters in Zion!

Local Support Group – Small in numbers, they are HUGE in heart! Our once-a-week park days or field trips really add to our love of homeschooling. The girls both have some special friends that they want to keep for life! The moms (and even some dads!) are pretty great, too!

Online Support Group/s – Cyberspace is a much less scary place when you connect with other like-minded folks. Generous, understanding, sympathetic, and willing cyber friends contribute SO much! With so many different groups out there, it isn’t hard to find one (or many!) to belong and contribute to. Some of our online buddies have been part of our lives for YEARS now, and yet we’re still making new ones quite regularly. We can count on you!

I'm leaning toward thinking that it does NOT ultimately take a village - our Heavenly Father assigned that responsibility to parents, and we are the ones who will some day stand before Him to make an accounting of our stewardship.

When a village is threatened by natural or manmade calamity, whose children do the villagers choose to save? Are the threats to all villages the same? Are some villages just plain and simply better for the welfare of their citizens than others or is that distinction completely dependent on the individual villagers?

We do need each other. It’s not the concept of a village that I disagree with – it’s the assumption of responsibility. That rests squarely on our shoulders as parents.

It’s not a burden, it’s a blessing.

Remembering

I'm afraid that Veteran's Day for many has become nothing more than one of those "sale holidays" where you can get special deals on everything from mattresses to big screen TVs. Our own family's remembrance will not be big or fancy, just a special devotional - discussion, patriotic songs, and helping dad raise the flag - but we do appreciate and love our servicemen past and present. We are truly grateful to live in this "choice land" and to enjoy the blessings of freedom.

We are very proud of our 11-year-old goddaughter, SwimChick. She is an amazing girl with a lot to give. Her even-more-proud mama sent us the following poem, which took 3rd place in a schoolwide contest this week.

Our Heroes
By SwimChick

They fight for our nation
They fight for our pride
They fight for our future
They fight far and wide

Five different Branches
All equally strong
Making sure that in our world
Nothing will go wrong

Many are old
Many are young
Many survived
Too many are gone

God bless our Soldiers
Keep them safe from our foes
God bless our Veterans
God bless our Heroes

Thank you, SwimChick, for helping us remember to keep this holiday real.

I Have a Plan

It's just after 6 a.m. and the house is still quiet.

I've meant to get back in the blogging habit for a while now, but got all hung up on the fact that I've "missed" so much. This weekend, our first away from home since I got sick in July, helped me realize that what really matters is that I'm ready to go on from here.

Being sick was not fun, in any sense, but it did bring MANY blessings. I am so grateful for the watchcare of a loving Father, for the love and support of an amazing husband who consistently gives more than 100%, for two precious daughters who've been willing, even anxious, to learn to do more so that they could help more, for extended family who never forgot us at prayertime, and for a church family who truly follow our Savior's example of unconditional love through service freely given. As we experience the "grateful" holiday season for the next couple of months, it is a perfect time of year to be able now to begin to give some back. It feels so good to feel good!

Our holidays were not exactly wonderful last year as my mom struggled in her final battle against her cancer. From early September when we had to put her into the hospital, to New Year's Eve at my sisters where we were with her when she slipped through the veil, we learned an important life lesson. What matters is who you are - what you stand for, and what you do with what you are given.

Being together to support Mawgs allowed us to share some sweet moments that will be always treasured, and to anticipate with joy a blessed reunion. It helped me to better understand who I am, what I want to stand for, and how I can give. I look back on those months last year and know that they were what they needed to be.

And now, we move forward.

I have a plan for our holidays this year - it is in place, and it begins today.