On Friday night, we took our whole family and Brooklen's friend, Ethan Menzies to a Saginaw Spirit hockey game. A friend from our ward, John Dunford, had offered us 8 free tickets, so we decided to take the entire family. It was a little chaotic having our little kids there, but it was also really fun to have everyone there. The girls and Kaiton enjoyed the snacks, watched a little hockey, and colored in coloring books throughout the game. When we got home late Friday night, my mom texted me to let me know that my Aunt Norma had suffered a heart attack. I didn't think it was severe at first, but then my mom sent a follow-up text letting me know she probably wouldn't make it. How precious life is! My dear Aunt Norma, who was 75 years old, but was so vibrant, active, and "young at heart," passed away late that night. Her 2 children, Cinco and Shelley, were able to spend some time with her before she passed and my parents were able to be in the room when they unhooked the breathing tubes. I am in shock. I didn't expect this at all and even though I wasn't super close to my Aunt Norma, I wish that I could have had another conversation with her and let he know that I love her. She loved the Poulsen family so much. The last memory that I have of her was last year, on my Dad's birthday. I was in Arizona for his birthday. That morning, she brought over a handmade card that she had painted for him. She has so many siblings and nieces and nephews, and yet, she made time for them. I have been thinking a lot about her example and how I can become more like her.
On Saturday, Brooklen had hockey practice in the morning and Hurley had a playdate with her friend, Lily, from school. In the evening, the Menzies family came over. Their son, Ethan, is one of Brooklen's best friends and their daughter Kaitlyn, is just a bit younger than Hurley. The kids had a wonderful time playing together and Rob and I enjoyed Melissa and Chris's company. Although it is sometimes a bit harder to interact with non-members, I love doing it so much.
Something that has been weighing heavily on my mind recently is whether or not we should have another baby. Rob and I even fasted about this today and still, I don't have a firm answer. While I can find so many reasons why I think we shouldn't have another baby, I also feel like maybe we should have just one more child. I feel a little sad that I didn't receive a clear answer from my fast today, but I did receive one answer. Now, is not the time. I am really looking forward to some alone time with Kaiton next year and I think maybe I need to wait to make the decision about our family size. I am worried because I don't want to wait too long because I am getting older, but I am not quite ready to decide today.
Today, I taught a lesson to the Young Women about repentance. My heart was heavy after hearing of Norma's death and I had a hard time planning my lesson. One of the things that I learned in planning the lesson, however, is that we are righteous only if we are repenting. One of the talks I read, suggested that as we pray each day we not only thank our Father in Heaven for blessings and ask for those that we need, but that we ask for forgiveness for the sins from that day. Doing this will help us more fully utilize the atonement and help us to become aware of all of our imperfections that we need the Lord for.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Sunday, March 13, 2016
2016-Week 11
On Monday morning, I dropped Zaya off to school and then I ran a quick errand. At 10am, I picked up Ellie Jones and Kaiton, Ellie, and I headed to Romp and Stomp. Monday mornings are usually pretty hectic and busy around here, but I've been trying to make it a priority to take some time out to get Kaiton to Romp and Stomp to play with other little kids. He really loves being there and socializing, and I see a couple of friends there that I rarely see, so it is good for both of us.
On Monday evening, I taught the FHE lesson. I made Resurrection There is a scripture to read with each step and they really fit so well. At the end (the cookies are a merengue), you put them in the over and seal the door shut. Then, the next morning, you open the oven and bite into a cookie and they are hollow. I'm thinking that I'm going to make these an Easter tradition for our family.
On Tuesday, we were able to spend some time outside. The weather was beautiful, so we went on a long walk. Zaya and Kaiton were both giddy getting to be outside! On Wednesday, we dropped Hurley off at gymnastics after school and then I ran to the library with the other kids. Afterwards, we went back to the gymnastics center and watched Hurley. I just love watching what her little body can do.
On Thursday, Brooklen started Spring hockey. I stayed home with the little ones while Rob took him to the rink. On Friday,
On Saturday, Rob got up early and went to Lansing for a church training. At 12:30, I took the kids to the Civic Arena for Brooklen's hockey practice. Afterwards, we got in the car and drove down to the temple. Rob was already at the temple watching Thomas and Alta's kids while they did a sealing session. Shortly after we arrived, Thomas and Alta finished, and then they watched our kids outside while we did a sealing session. There was a family there that had brought family names. The mother actually got the chance to seal her sister to her parents. It was a very special experience to be in the sealing room for that. It meant so much to her.
After the sealing session, we went back outside and played baseball with Thomas and Alta and all of the kids. It was a beautiful day, and the kids had so much fun being outside. On our way out of town, we all stopped at Five Guys and got dinner and then we headed home.
I forgot to record a couple of experiences with the kids that I thought were significant. A couple of weeks ago I was watching the television. It was the day after the Oscar Awards and they showed a picture of Brie Larsen in her Oscar dress. Zaya noticed the picture and she turned to me and said, "Mom, that girl looks sooo awesome!" She went on about how beautiful she looked. I responded by telling her that I thought that she was actually even MORE BEAUTIFUL than the girl on the tv. Zaya looked at me, took my head in her hands, and said, "I can tell that you are lying to my brain!!!"
A few days later, Hurley came to me and told me that she thought that she looked really fat. She has been growing a lot lately, so her clothes are getting tighter, but she actually came to me two or three times and commented about how she thought her belly looked fat. What strikes me is how impressionable these sweet, little girls are. They are being brought up in a world that puts so much pressure on what we look like. I want to protect them so much from that, but there is only so much that I can do. I do know that I need to make every effort to let them know that I am happy and comfortable in my own skin. I hope that this will make an impression on them.
On Monday evening, I taught the FHE lesson. I made Resurrection There is a scripture to read with each step and they really fit so well. At the end (the cookies are a merengue), you put them in the over and seal the door shut. Then, the next morning, you open the oven and bite into a cookie and they are hollow. I'm thinking that I'm going to make these an Easter tradition for our family.
On Tuesday, we were able to spend some time outside. The weather was beautiful, so we went on a long walk. Zaya and Kaiton were both giddy getting to be outside! On Wednesday, we dropped Hurley off at gymnastics after school and then I ran to the library with the other kids. Afterwards, we went back to the gymnastics center and watched Hurley. I just love watching what her little body can do.
On Thursday, Brooklen started Spring hockey. I stayed home with the little ones while Rob took him to the rink. On Friday,
On Saturday, Rob got up early and went to Lansing for a church training. At 12:30, I took the kids to the Civic Arena for Brooklen's hockey practice. Afterwards, we got in the car and drove down to the temple. Rob was already at the temple watching Thomas and Alta's kids while they did a sealing session. Shortly after we arrived, Thomas and Alta finished, and then they watched our kids outside while we did a sealing session. There was a family there that had brought family names. The mother actually got the chance to seal her sister to her parents. It was a very special experience to be in the sealing room for that. It meant so much to her.
After the sealing session, we went back outside and played baseball with Thomas and Alta and all of the kids. It was a beautiful day, and the kids had so much fun being outside. On our way out of town, we all stopped at Five Guys and got dinner and then we headed home.
I forgot to record a couple of experiences with the kids that I thought were significant. A couple of weeks ago I was watching the television. It was the day after the Oscar Awards and they showed a picture of Brie Larsen in her Oscar dress. Zaya noticed the picture and she turned to me and said, "Mom, that girl looks sooo awesome!" She went on about how beautiful she looked. I responded by telling her that I thought that she was actually even MORE BEAUTIFUL than the girl on the tv. Zaya looked at me, took my head in her hands, and said, "I can tell that you are lying to my brain!!!"
A few days later, Hurley came to me and told me that she thought that she looked really fat. She has been growing a lot lately, so her clothes are getting tighter, but she actually came to me two or three times and commented about how she thought her belly looked fat. What strikes me is how impressionable these sweet, little girls are. They are being brought up in a world that puts so much pressure on what we look like. I want to protect them so much from that, but there is only so much that I can do. I do know that I need to make every effort to let them know that I am happy and comfortable in my own skin. I hope that this will make an impression on them.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
2016- Week 10
We started off the week with the kids going back to school on Monday after having 3 days off for snow last week. Then, on Tuesday, we got ANOTHER snow day because we were supposed to have a snowstorm all day. It ended up actually snowing steadily the entire day and by about 6 pm, it was clear that they were going to have to cancel school on Wednesday too. It was going to continue to snow until 11pm on Tuesday night, and there was no way that the roads would be recovered. Fortunately, they sent the cancellation text on Tuesday evening, so we could plan on sleeping in on Wednesday. By Wednesday, I don't think the kids were too excited to have another snow day; 5 snow days in a week is a bit much, but we made the best of it. On Wednesday, Alta and her kids came over and hung out for a few hours, which was great for ALL of us. Alta and I stayed upstairs and talked while the older kids played in the basement. By the afternoon, the roads were better, so I took Hurley to gymnastics and then came back and taught three piano lessons. Rob and Brooklen took off to Detroit to go to a Redwings game. Rob waited until the last minute to buy tickets and it ended up being a crazy fiasco, but in the end, they ended up with good seats and Brooklen's day was made. The Redwings lost, but it was the exact game that he wanted to go to and he was so excited to see his first Wings game.
On Thursday, the kids had school. I spent most of the day recovering the house. Zaya had gymnastics and I also taught two piano lessons in the afternoon. On Friday evening, the girls went to an event at a friend's church, Rob stayed home with Kaiton, and I took Brooklen to a Saginaw Spirit hockey game. All of the Midland Mites met at the game for their end-of-season celebration. We met before the game in a conference room and the coaches gave awards and said a bit about each player. Brooklen's coach mentioned that his skill level had "sky-rocketed" throughout the season and that he worked hard. During the game, Brooklen sat with his teammates. After a while, he got comfortable and was laughing and cheering with them. The cutest thing was when they started chanting, "fight, fight, fight" every few minutes.
Although we didn't get home from the Spirit game until 10pm Friday night, we had to be at the Civic Arena at 7:45 on Saturday morning. From 8:15-9:15, the boys played a round-robin and played all three Mite teams. Brooklen's team won one game and lost two. Brooklen scored 1 goal, but he was very instrumental in both defense and offense for his team. We had an hour break after his first games. We watched a bit of Ethan Menzie's game and walked around a bit. At 10:30, the boys played again. They played the #1 team first and lost. Then, they played a game for 3rd place and won! What was so cool about that game was that they actually played the team that many people thought would win the championship and they won!!! At the end of the game, they piled on top of each other and game each other big hugs. It was a great season of hockey for Brooklen. I enjoyed watching him learn and progress. It was so fun to watch him have fun and get so much better.
On Saturday afternoon, Hurley had her friend Lily come over and play. We went out back and skated in the woods for a little while. I was surprised that Kaiton actually did really well. I'm so excited to teach him to really ice skate this spring. At 3:30pm, Brooklen went over to Carter Grieman's house to play for a while. I am so glad that he has made some good friends. Later, I dropped Lily off at her house and I took the girls with me to Meijer. For dinner, we made some burritos and then put the kids to bed.
On Thursday, the kids had school. I spent most of the day recovering the house. Zaya had gymnastics and I also taught two piano lessons in the afternoon. On Friday evening, the girls went to an event at a friend's church, Rob stayed home with Kaiton, and I took Brooklen to a Saginaw Spirit hockey game. All of the Midland Mites met at the game for their end-of-season celebration. We met before the game in a conference room and the coaches gave awards and said a bit about each player. Brooklen's coach mentioned that his skill level had "sky-rocketed" throughout the season and that he worked hard. During the game, Brooklen sat with his teammates. After a while, he got comfortable and was laughing and cheering with them. The cutest thing was when they started chanting, "fight, fight, fight" every few minutes.
Although we didn't get home from the Spirit game until 10pm Friday night, we had to be at the Civic Arena at 7:45 on Saturday morning. From 8:15-9:15, the boys played a round-robin and played all three Mite teams. Brooklen's team won one game and lost two. Brooklen scored 1 goal, but he was very instrumental in both defense and offense for his team. We had an hour break after his first games. We watched a bit of Ethan Menzie's game and walked around a bit. At 10:30, the boys played again. They played the #1 team first and lost. Then, they played a game for 3rd place and won! What was so cool about that game was that they actually played the team that many people thought would win the championship and they won!!! At the end of the game, they piled on top of each other and game each other big hugs. It was a great season of hockey for Brooklen. I enjoyed watching him learn and progress. It was so fun to watch him have fun and get so much better.
On Saturday afternoon, Hurley had her friend Lily come over and play. We went out back and skated in the woods for a little while. I was surprised that Kaiton actually did really well. I'm so excited to teach him to really ice skate this spring. At 3:30pm, Brooklen went over to Carter Grieman's house to play for a while. I am so glad that he has made some good friends. Later, I dropped Lily off at her house and I took the girls with me to Meijer. For dinner, we made some burritos and then put the kids to bed.
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