Update on blog address

Somehow I got an * in the address. The real one is tristipinkston.blogspot.com LDS author is not a part of the URL, but of the name of the blog.

Merry Month of Miracles

My friend and former neighbor is an author. She has a new book coming out in a couple of weeks, and all month long has been having a daily contest with awesome prizes. I won a book from another author, and am hoping to win one of the grand prizes. Check her out at TristiPinkston*LDSAuthor.blogspot.com and see what this last week of prizes will be. She posts every night, just after midnight, and you have until midnight to submit your e-mail to her.

Christmas

Christmas was nice and quiet (just us). Marian had to work from noon to 5, so we had a late breakfast and saved dinner until she got home. The boys got Thomas the Train, one for each, so no fighting (haha).

Paul and I each got a stack of books, and Jennie made us a wall hanging of the Be Attitudes from President Hinckley. We got a nice blanket from my Mom, and Marian gave me a new necklace that matches the blouse I got for my birthday. The boys got new clothes and wore their new "Primary Clothes" to Church today. Did not get pictures yet, but when I do, I will post them. Jackson starts Sunbeams next week, so a perfect time to get a new picture, right?
The boys have both been sick, but are doing better. They both are back to eating again, which is a relief. AND they both love Chocolate, so they are constantly looking at the Christmas candy. All the Chocolate covered mint are gone already.
Hope you all had a good Christmas, as well.

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas

We had our family Christmas Party last night and Santa came for a visit. Hayden was not too sure he liked the Jolly Old Elf.

But Ryan and Jackson had no problem with him.

Maclay wants toys.

Kambree was shy, but did like sitting on his lap.

Kylie wants Pet Shop toys. After he left she asked how we got him to come to our party every year. We told her we have special connections!

And he told Kelsey that he did not have any cute boys in his bag!

Since Vonda and family could not be here, we called them on the phone and everyone wished them a Merry Christmas.

My birthday was on Thursday. It was a wonderful day. We actually started to celebrate on Wednesday evening. It was Paul's work party and we went out to dinner. Thursday morning Jennie and Marian and boys took me to breakfast. Jennie took the day off work and took Marian's boys the rest of the day. So I got the whole day off. I went to the temple, put up my nativity and finished my block of the month quilt top. Dora and Vonda called to wish me a Happy Birthday, and then Evan and Jaime took us out to dinner. Marie and Dorine sent cards. All-in-all, it was a great day.

Much to be thankful for!

For those of you who read Facebook regularly, probably saw a lot of postings of people listing things they were thankful for over the month of November. I was not one of them, but I am thankful for my MANY blessings. It is the time of year to reflect on those thoughts.

Our Thanksgiving was fairly quiet, as family gatherings go. All of our children and grandchildren, except for Vonda & family met at Dora's, where we had a wonderful dinner. Everyone chipped in, so it was not a lot of work for any one person. The meal was probably the noisiest part of the day. We ate early, so the guys could watch the Cowboys lose the football game (the reason it was not so noisy). Dora's girls went upstairs and played video games and the little boys destroyed Maclay's room. Not literally, but all the toys were out and scattered. The women cleaned up the dishes and divided up the leftovers. Below is a look down at the dining area during the pie eating. There is a perfect landing above the stairs for taking this type of picture.

Then we tried to get the 4 little boys to sit still for a picture with their bug jar quilts. Too close to nap time for much cooperation. It is like herding cats to get them to sit still for even a minute.

But they are all pretty cute. These are the 2 best of about 10 shots.

And for those who are not on facebook, Jennie had her ultrasound yesterday and this time the baby cooperated with the doctor. It is definitely A GIRL!!! Hayden has been saying "sister" ever since. So cute!

Vonda had a really crazy last week. On Monday they had a huge snowstorm. It was heavy and wet, and a lot of it. Austin was at Erinn's and got snowed in. Vonda was at work and could not get home, so she stayed at the hotel next to her work. The kids were let out of school early, and Robert barely made it home. Vonda let her boss know that she was close-by in case others could not get to work. Her boss told her to come back over and get something to eat, and as she was getting her coat on, the power went out. She walked over anyway, and helped them put things away and had some hot soup. She went back and had a bath by candlelight and went to bed in her clothes, as it was so cold. The next morning she went over to help unload the Thanksgiving shipment at the restaurant and still the power was out. They have an enclosed receiving area that is secure, so much if the stuff was left there. It was colder than inside. Later that day they got a refrigerated truck to keep the food in until the power came back on. She and Austin both made it home that afternoon, but said there were broken tree branches all along the way, and the power company was trying to restore the power lines that had been broken by the storm and the trees.

The kids did not go back to school on Tues or Wed, but they never lost power. They were thankful for that, but the water pump froze up and Robert had to put a heater next to it to thaw it out and keep it working. Fortunately it happened while they were using the water and could immediately get it taken care of. Robert did not go to work on Tues, but did on Wed.

It was 36 hours for some and 72 for others without power. The restaurant was about 36 hours, so lots of folks ate there. The power crews came in shifts to eat, and by 4 pm on Thursday, they were out of turkey and lots of other things, but people were good and just thankful they could have a hot meal someplace.

So, I am thankful that they are all safe and sound. I am thankful for a nice warm house, food to eat, and that our storms have been minimal and our power has not even flickered.

Hope this posting finds you all well and safe too.

Quest For Christ

On Saturday our ward had an activity entitled "The Quest For Christ"

Over the past 2 1/2 months, in preparation for this day, those joining the activity have been memorizing "The Living Christ" document, which is the testimony sent out to the membership of the Church in January 2000. It is signed by the First Presidency and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Of course, over the past nearly eleven years, the names have changed. With the passing of several General Authorities and members of the First Presidency, new people fill those positions. The second part of the preparation was to study the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and the third was to write down your testimony.

The call came at 6:30 am, with the words, "The bridegroom cometh." We had fifteen minutes to be at the church.

The first thing that happened was a "judgement" table where we were asked 3 questions. 1. Have you memorized "The Living Christ?" 2. Have you been studying the life and teachings of Jesus Christ? 3. Have you written down your testimony? Those who could answer "yes" to all three questions went into the Primary room. Those who answered "No" went into the Scout room. After everyone had been "judged", we were asked what parable came to mind with the activities. The answer was clear, The Parable of the Ten Virgins. Next we went into the cultural hall for a light breakfast. We were given instructions for our day, and then an Angel appeared and told us that the Christ Child had been born and that we were to go to the Inn to find him. All of the classrooms were Inns, and we had to seek out the correct one. Once we found the correct Inn, we were told that they had been there, but there was no room for them, and they were in a stable. Directions were given to find the stable.

When we arrived the stable was empty. A Roman soldier came by and told us that Herod had decreed that all children under the age of 2 were to be killed, and did we know where the family was who apparently had been in this stable? He gave us a copy of the decree, with a clue as to where our next destination was to be. The clue led us to the Temple, where a young boy told us that Jesus had been there, but was now gone. The Scribes were certain that this could not be the Messiah, as the scriptures said Elias would come first. We were told that Elias had already come and we should go to the River Jordan to find Him.

At the River Jordan, we encountered John the Baptist, who also reported that Jesus had come this way, but we must repent and be baptized in order to follow Him. He led us up the path, where we met Simon Peter, who had left the sea and was a Fisher of Men. Here we were given the opportunity to cast a sin into the net of the fisherman and let it depart from our presence.

Simon Peter told us that Jesus had gone to the Pool of Bethesda to heal the sick. Over the past year everyone has been putting spare change in a "Jingle Jar" to help someone less fortunate than we. At the Pool of Bethesda (Primary Children's Hospital) we learned of the needs of the children afflicted with diseases and the research that gets much of it's funding from donations such as Pennies By The Inch. The 1st counselor in the bishopric has a 3-year old with leukemia, and he related a little about what had happened here. We were given the opportunity to donate the money in our jars to the hospital. This is one jar of two that we filled.

Next we went on to the Upper Room for the Feast of the Passover. One of the families in our ward are of Jewish descent, and this good brother explained about the feast and the tradition behind each food that was served. He talked about Christ introducing the Sacrament at the Last Supper. Then we ate the Feast.

After our meal, we went to the "Garden" at the base of the Mount of Olives and learned about Gethsemane, the olive presses, and the pressure of the sins upon Jesus, as he atoned for our sins. The pressure was compared to that of extracting oil from the olives.

Then we walked the road of Golgotha to Temple Square and into the Visitor's Center. At the Cristus Rotunda we learned of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. We held a testimony meeting and all recited The Living Christ. When we finished our quest, after we finally found Jesus Christ, it was raining. The weather had cooperated while we held the outdoor activities. We awakened Sunday morning with snow on the ground. The timing and the weather were perfect for our quest. It was a life-changing experience that is difficult to put into words. It was a very spiritual experience.

Better week!

A much better week at our house. No floods, toys picked up, kids not sick.

Hayden was here Wed & Thurs. He is growing up so fast. He says everything, and very plain. He enunciates better than Ryan for most words. Marian is taking Ryan for a speech evaluation at the school district. Her pediatrician told her to wait until he was 4.

Here are the pictures for their birthdays. My new computer does such a good job.

Ryan- age 4

Jackson - age 3

Hayden - age 18 months

Partners in Crime!

And in Halloween attire. Hayden just borrowed this one for the pictures, as they did not have his Kermit costume yet. They went shopping after the picture session.

And Erinn posted this one yesterday. The cowboys call it "powering-up", but they always have individual time before the rodeos, to ask for protection. Love the picture, though.

It is cold and overcast today. Glad I am not sitting at a football game somewhere.