nice try

The fact is, there are some family activities that cannot go smoothly despite planning, preparation or even a hotel room with a pool. Add Stake conference to this list. In an effort to cut down on car time (read: sitting time), I got a hotel room in Pullman so we could attend all our meetings with the least amount of pent up kid energy. The conference was so good and the spirit was strong, but by the end Tony and I wanted to slither out of the chapel on our bellies hoping no one identified us with the children following us to our car.

It was nice to have dinner with Jeff and Stacey for her birthday and they were especially kind to watch our kids during the adult session. We had a picnic in the park after the session and I realized that all the Stake Conference talks in the world teach me less than I can learn in one day from my kids. Just like in graduate school, it was during the clinical experience that the real learning happened. It's just that the hands-on learning is often so less pleasant than sitting comfortably in a church pew being spoon fed the gospel by well prepared speakers.





As an added bonus, I didn't have to make breakfast and the house was clean for 6 minutes on Sunday when we got home, so that was nice.

Our ward party on Friday night was unprecedented; really great. I've whined so much about the ward Halloween party that I'll be eating my words at least until the ward Christmas party. It was held in a cool old barn replete with a snowy owl, hay bales and dry ice root beer. I think the best part was having no trunk or treat. Trunk or treat is device of the devil.

















I'm so proud of my friend Callie. She and her friends had all planned to go to a movie (rated G) when at the last minute they opted for a Satanic thriller instead. Callie declined to go, so her friends started teasing her in that painful way that is worse than punches to the stomach. She described it as not being able to get air when you are drowning. I know that feeling. One of her best friends advised her to "just go, you eventually get used to it." Callie just stared at her in disbelief wondering why she would want to get used to feeling so bad.

Pair this experience with our friend's teenager who discovered that his good friends, the ones he hangs out with and studies with--the good kids--were taking turns having oral sex with each other. I didn't know what this was in high school, much less discuss it. When I hear these stories I am amazed that any kids can survive high school, or serve a mission. Hearing about these experiences were great incentive for setting the new goals and higher standards for our family that were discussed in Stake Conference. I love Callie and am so proud of her.


We took a few minutes on Sunday to remember that one year ago this weekend we were just arriving home with a mighty cute Guatemalan boy. Here is what the kids remember:

Wilson: I remember looking out the hotel window when Marcos came. I remember waiting at the embassy and he cuddled up in my arms and fell asleep. I remember that he screamed the whole way home to St John from the airport because he had never been in a car seat before!

Cooper: I remember when Larena brough Marcos, he came to me but not Mommy! His hair smelled nice.

Eliza: I remember Marcos' little shoes--they were red. We had balloons for him at home. He pushed them but he never smiled.

Max: I cried in my bed when you went to Guatemala. I was waiting for Marcos to get home. I wanted to hug him and play with him really, really bad.