Sunday, Sunday

So happy to have morning church again, even though it hasn't helped us in the getting-there-on-time department. But 1 p.m. didn't help us either. Some of you know already and some don't, but for a long time at church, I was helping with the little kids in church. The kids are always so fun, even on the days when my mood wasn't (i.e. my whole pregnancy with the twins). Recently, I switched over to working in Relief Society (our women's organization). Some of you may agree that teaching adults is slightly more intimidating than teaching children. They talk back and may on occasion ask questions (and not just questions like "Did Jesus have cake at his birthday parties?"). So today, I taught a lesson about following the guidance of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Some things that stood out to me: we have to practice listening to promptings, we need quiet time to ponder, and keep a notebook with you in case you need to write down something. At some point from the copy machine to the classroom, I lost the quotes to read in class, so we had extra class discussion time. I felt like nothing was missing because of the wonderful ideas that the ladies in class had to share. I'm grateful to know these women. Oh, and yes, I did find the quotes tonight when I was cleaning out my diaper bag. Thanks, ladies, for helping me realize that the big kids are just as fun as the little ones.

Beach

This weekend we took a museum/beach trip with Aria. We ended up in St. Petersburg, after a slight detour of driving through Orlando. Basically, our museum passes didn't work in Orlando because they were having a special exhibit (bummer). The sad part is that we managed to drive all the way there before we found out. So thanks to Black Friday's GPS purchase, we were able to navigate to another museum in St. Pete. The bright side of the story was that just earlier that day (when we were blissfully unaware that the Orlando museum would deny us), we were talking about making a beach trip on another day. So it ended up being a two-for-one day.

Did I mention that I love the beach? I could sit there for a long time, just watching people jump in the water, digging for shells, listening to the waves, and smelling the salty gulf air. The only down side is the clean up before reentering the vehicle. Have you ever tried baby powder for that? It works great. Just sprinkle some on your hands and feet, and the sand slips off. And you smell good too.

Throwing "oranges" at Great Explorations.

Doctor, doctor, give me the news.

Check the dead fish in the bottom left.

Self portrait

Horses

Our cousin Aria is visiting from KY. She loves horses. So we've been trying to maximize on the benefits of living in horse country.

This week we visited Mill Creek Farm which is a home for retired horses. Most of the horses were abandoned at some point. I never realized that people dumped horses.

Enoch gets excited about the horse eating carrots from his hand.

Oh, that's why you don't stick your hand out without a carrot in it.

Should have read the sign, Enoch.

Baptism

Enoch: I know what baptism is.

Mom: What is it?

Enoch: It's when you wash away all your senses.

Family Portrait

This is my Christmas present from Amory. A total surprise. Evan Poirier did the painting (AMAZING!), and Amory did the sneaky building of a giant canvas. He told me he was building it for a special project Evan was doing. It really was a special project! Thank you, Amory, for always being so thoughtful. Thanks, Evan, for the amazing painting. I now cannot look at anything else when I sit in the living room. Each member of our family is represented in the painting, along with things we enjoy as a family. If I had seen this painting for sale, I would have wanted to buy it immediately, but having our family represented in it makes it even cooler.

Merry Christmas

Enoch (singing): Good tidings we bring to you and your kid.

Happy Anniversary, Amory

Nine years, and he can still trick me. Tonight we had a surprise date (thanks, Angela). And Amory made me a soundtrack for our life/love. Gotta love a mix tape (which I like to call it even though we don't live in the 90s anymore).