Suprise!

Jason and I have been heading for bed earlier and earlier. (We blame work and Seminary. Frankly, I think we're just getting old.) Somehow the word hasn't gotten out not to disturb the Welker's after 9 PM. We grumble a little when the phone rings that late. But I wasn't grumbling when we got a surprise after bedtime a couple of weeks ago. At 9:30, our doorbell rang. It was my brother, Andrew. The previous day, he had decided to go for a drive. A 1000 mile drive. From Tucson, AZ. Surprise!

Andrew spent a fantastic 3 days with us. We introduced him to kolaches, NASA and the down-town tunnels. The best part of his visit was watching my kids interact with their goofy Uncle Andrew. As much as I love Texas, I desperately miss our extended family. Andrew's surprise visit reminded us how blessed we are to have such an amazing family and how far away that family is.

Thanks for the surprise, Andrew. You are welcome anytime!

Pearls to Contemplate

On Monday, our Seminary class will be discussing Jacob 2- specifically the topic of Pride. We will be using the following True/False quiz to start the lesson. How well will you do? (Clarifications in parentheses will not be on my class's quiz. Just something additional for you to contemplate.)

1. If you don't like someone, (including political figures?) then you have pride.

2. Arguing (about politics?) is a form of pride.

3. The way to overcome pride is by going to church.

4. There are some forms of pride that are good (particularly the achievements of your children).

5. Disobedience to someone in authority (idiot cops?) over you is pride.

6. Gossiping (unless it's true?) is a form of pride.

7. If you have pride, you welcome input from others.

8. Poor people don't have pride because they don't have money.

9. Pride isn't as serious a sin as fornication.

10. Holding onto grudges is pride.

I won't be posting answers myself. The answer key can be found in Pres. Ezra Taft Benson's landmark talk on pride.

What would you add to a lesson on pride?

Super Saturday!

My sister-in-law has the most amazing personalized clock hanging in her front room. When I asked where she purchased it, she told me she made it at a Relief Society activity. I took a picture of it, and showed it to the craftiest friend I know. Tara loved the idea and we decided we would figure out how to do it.

A year (!) later, Tara asks me if I'm still interested in making a personalized clock. She found out that another ward in our stake was making them for their Super Saturday activity and we had permission to "crash" if we wanted to.

Four hours later, this is my creation. I am amazed at how great it turned out, AND it was tons of fun to spend my day with some great friends. Jason held down the home-front, cracking the whip on Saturday chores, and then rewarding the kids with a trip to the movies.

Yep, it was a super Saturday.

(Now, I can't wait for OUR ward's Super Saturday in November.)

Things That Made Me Smile This Weekend

1. Lucy "tucking in" the dishes- I asked Lucy to unload the dishwasher while I made dinner. As she put away every plate and cup, she would whisper "Goodnight, purple cup" and then, gently close the door.

2. Emily psyching our dog- Emily pretended she was holding a treat in her hand and would let Bullet sniff her fingers. She didn't have anything at all, but she acted like she did. It should have been obvious that there was nothing there for him, but Bullet was going nuts. She would pretend to throw it and Bullet would take off after it. She had him going for a good 15 minutes. Poor (dumb) dog.

3. Tyler and church- Tyler was the only one who made it to church today. As he walked in the door, he said, "You missed a good one." He shared his testimony in Sacrament, loved his Teacher's class and went home-teaching with Bro. Turner. What a good kid he is.

4. Former Home Teachers- Beloved Bro. Skye sent a box of Cocoa Puffs home with Tyler because he knew it was Randy's favorite. Love that guy.

5. Humble Brother-in-laws- We got a sweet email from Dave this week. I just wanted to let him know he was in our thoughts and prayers.

6. BBC Adaptations of Jane Austen Books- With Jason out of town for his grandmother's funeral, I got the TV to myself. I watched "Persuasion" last night and reserved "Sense and Sensibility" for tomorrow. Woo-hoo!

7. Waffles for Dinner- Um, I think this is self-explanatory.

8. Handwritten Notes from a Friend- Actually, this made me just a little bit weepy. I'll miss you, Tonya.

9. Pictures of my Crazy Kids- This picture wasn't taken this weekend. I just didn't want a picture-less post.

What didn't make me smile? Being a single mom for the weekend. But I'm glad Jason is with his family this weekend. I just wanted to let him know how much I love and miss him.

And eegee's. I miss eegee's.

Great-Grandma Welker

Jason's grandmother passed away this week. Of all of our grandparents, she was the one the kids knew best of all. For a while, she lived in a nice trailer next to Jason's parents house. This afforded her some independence, but she was still close enough to get some extra help. We made it a point to take our kids over during every trip so that our kids could say hello.

Right about the time that Lucy was born, the signs of dementia started setting in. She could remember her past and our older kids, but Lucy never became embedded in her memory. You could tell that was a great source of frustration for her, that she knew she should know Lucy's name, but had to ask every time.

Randy, of course, took it hard. However, since my grandmother's funeral in the spring, he understands a little bit more about the Atonement. He asked if she was "in her tomb yet." We told him that Jason would be going to her funeral, and that she wouldn't be buried until then. He wanted to clarify that Jesus could "take her out of the tomb, right?" and wanted to know when her resurrection would occur. Although, we couldn't answer that specific question, he was satisfied with our testimonies that our grandmothers, and all of us, would one day be resurrected. I'm so grateful that we can comfort him with that knowledge, and that he has a the beginnings of a testimony of our Savior's sacrifice.

I'll always remember her a strong woman. Even at the end, when her mind and body were frail, her heart was strong. I admire her for ability to endure hardships- physically and emotionally. I'm also thankful for the example of Jason's parents, who have sacrificed so much and so long to care for her. She is loved and will be missed. But I know she is in a far better place and am so thankful for that knowledge.

Yeah . . . I'm showing off . . .

. . . again.

These are my latest projects. (Actually, crochet is just my excuse to watch TV.)

All of my kids know have afghans of their own. This is Randy's.

After I fell in love with crochet, I found amigurumi- or "crocheted stuffed doll." There are tons of free patterns on-line and now all of the kids have one of their own. I finished Randy's elephant on our road trip to my grandmother's funeral. He couldn't find it for a picture, but he's holding it in his hand in the last picture of this post. "Sam" can always be found when Randy really needs him.

I made a "Flixie" for Emily. This is a character from the book that she is writing. A flixie is a fairy with a cat's body. You can't tell in this picture, but the flixie I made has wings and a sparkly black dress. Tyler wanted a dog and I was surprised that a 14-year-old still wanted a stuffed animal from his mom.

Lucy still loves her giraffe- Leafy. This was the first amigurumi I'd made and I can see tons of mistakes. Thankfully, she loves him in spite of his faults.

My next project is something for me. And Jason has already put in his order for his own blanket. I'm going to be one of those little old ladies who dies with a closet full of yarn.

Another Last First

As far as I'm concerned, Lucy is our last child. So her firsts are the last ones I'll experience as a mother. Last night, she lost her first tooth. It was really hard to get her to sit still for a picture. This is the best we could do. This is a part of a game she invented- a very Lucy thing to do.

The story of her tooth is very Lucy also- pure drama. It had been wiggly for a while and it looked like it was getting close to coming out, but not quite there. However, while I brushed her teeth, that thing popped out and started gushing that red stuff that rhymes with mud. None of my other kids' teeth have bled like that. I must have had a look of shock on my face, because she looked in the mirror. Her chin was covered with blood and when she saw that, she flipped out. All the while, I'm cheerfully chattering, "Look your tooth fell out! How cool is that?" Apparently, not very cool.

We finally got her calmed down and into bed. She wanted to the Tooth Fairy to come, but didn't seem that excited about it. Jason sent a "reminder" alarm to make sure the Tooth Fairy didn't forget to come. He went upstairs to "check," if you know what I mean. But the next morning, a crestfallen Lucy came down-stairs with her tooth in a baggie. "She didn't come." Randy was quick to console her. "That's OK, Lucy. If the Tooth Fairy forgets, she brings extra money for each day she was late." He knows from experience.

I took her hand and we went upstairs to look. Under her pillow was two dollar bills. Lucy is now converted. She's counting her teeth and multiplying by two. I think she's also trying to figure out how to hide it from the Tooth Fairy in the hopes of collecting a little interest.