Spencer Turns 23

Spencer, Spencer. How did you grow up so fast?
Where did our little boy go?
Yep. You guessed it. Our little boy got all grown up.
He's gone off and done some stuff.
If I was clever I would write a poem, maybe a Haiku.
The best I can do is say...

The Best is yet to come. Happy Birthday SPOT!

What I did last evening

Before 7 p.m.
1. Ate dinner
2. Watched DVR of "Sell This House"
3. Tried to open a can of floor paint to paint the garage steps. It was really glued shut.
4. Felt frustrated.
After 7 p.m.
1. One of my visiting teachers came for September
2. Talked to Robert on the phone
3. Watched DVR of "48 Hours"
4. Fell asleep
After 9 p.m.
1. Read some blogs and facebook
2. Did a run/walk on the treadmill at 11:42 p.m.
After 12 midnight
1. Showered
2. Read "The Host" for a little while
3. Prayed
4. Changed bed sheets
5. Watched Craig Ferguson (He was VERY strange last night)
6. Watched the closing part of "How Do I Look"
7. Turned off the TV
8. Tossed and turned for a while but didn't look at the clock
9. Fell asleep FINALLY!

Election Time

I was listening in Sunday School class today and began to think how coincidental (or maybe not) it is that we are studying Nephite government and that we are in the midst of an election campaign and will soon be voting not only for a new president of our country but other issues that will naturally affect us all. The laws which are passed or not, and the people who are elected, or not, will have a lasting effect on our nation and our lives and we sure want to make the correct decisions. I believe that as in the Nephite government if we choose leaders and pass laws that are "laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men"* that our nation will perish as the Nephites did.
I get the feeling that so many people do not know what they are really looking at when they see a commercial about something that someone wants them to vote for or against on the television or hear it on the radio or read about on the internet. Just listening to commercials is not the way to understand the issues. And just voting your emotions and not looking at the "big picture" when you vote or make decisions on voting is not smart.
I see people voting their emotions, their race, their culture, their prejudices, their sexual preferences, their tax status, their personal causes, voting against the establishment because they are young and not because they know what is going on, and yes, even their religious preferences. What I don't seem to see or hear people saying is, "Go here and study the issues and this is where to find them." They just blog emotionally, report emotionally, and beat you up if you don't agree with them.
My main point is that we must be more than superficial voters. Studying the issues and the candidates is imperative. Don't just listen to the lobbyists for the candidates or the issues. Find out for yourself.
As a member of the LDS Church, ambassador for Jesus Christ, patriot, and United States citizen, I have a little bit of insight about the specialness of this land and its purpose in bringing the Gospel to the earth again. Prophets also warn us that if/when this nation becomes more wicked than not that we will not be protected anymore. It is scary to think that I can see that as an actual event.
At least go to the platform website for candidates and read. At least read the issues before us. Protect this country from the adversary.
We have agency from God and from our nation. Let's use it.

McCain Platform

Barack Obama

Go to the Secretary of State webpage for your state to read the issues from your area. Just Google it.

I have also been reading more than just the issues but also reading "The Proclamation on the Family", General Conference issues, the writings of the prophets, the scriptures. And I have been praying. Prayer can help you and me make the decision. But we have to know what we are deciding on.

And to put my own 2 cents worth in (and I can because this is my blog) I don't understand why anyone who is a member of the LDS Church would support issues or candidates contrary to the teachings of the Savior. I read a blog once that asked, "If same-sex marriage is legalized will the Church be required to allow those sealings in the temple?" WHAT???? My nephew told me that a Sister in his ward stood up and bore her testimony that she was happy that same-sex marriage had been legalized in California so that her son could now marry his partner and they could be happy. What about the scripture that says "wickedness never was happiness?"
And that is not the only issue on the block that is directly opposed to the teaching of the Gospel.
Okay, I am off the soap box on that. Just go make an informed decision and DON'T FORGET WHO YOU ARE AND WHOSE YOU ARE.
Thank you and good night.

*Book of Mormon -Helaman 7:4

A New Candidate for President!

As much as I am enjoying listening to the candidates speak these days it has inspired me to toss my hat into the ring:

Janice Ottley for President!

Baby Becky's Birthday!

Today is my sister's birthday so today she gets a little blogging done about her.
Probably no one would have thought that this darling little baby girl would one day be the mother of 9 children.
I was told that before she was born I called her Baby Becky. She was my baby.
She is one of my closest friends and she can make me laugh like one one else.
Descriptive words: Hardworking, generous, creative, motherer, funny.




Here are some more pictures through the years.
Looking like her granddaughter, Ryan.




















The two of us together on the farm in Prairie Creek, Indiana.
















































































With her hubby, James. 1975



















With Alex and Eli. I love this picture! Only 7 more to go!





Happy Birthday, Rebecca! Hope you have a great day! I love you.

August 22, 2008

The Forest













You So Admire













Goes Up In Smoke













With Just One Fire














The Hayman Fire June 2002.
It is now 2008.
This is what we saw on our trip to the mountains today.

I Am Grateful For My Family

I read an article on LDS Living and I have many of the exact feelings about serving a mission as the folks in the article. I forwarded the article to Robert to read. He IM'd me back with the yellow crying face because he feels the same way. We are going to serve at least one mission and hopefully more.

The feelings are about missing your children, their families, grandchildren growing up, parents getting older, selling homes, learning a language, etc. and not being there when all these life events are happening.

We have some friends who just left to go to Cambodia for two years. When I asked them if they had advice they just said, "Start early." They have had the same issues, selling homes, setting up funds, getting shots, organizing money and insurance, etc, etc, etc. It is really a giant leap of faith and not just as easy as turning the key and walking away from a house or your life.

I have this picture of most of our family at my desk at work and I was looking at it and thinking how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family and how I want others to have the same blessing of eternal family ties. This is enough of a reason to share the gospel not only on missions but also every day.

One of the comments in the article was about the senior couples children's challenges in life (everyone has challenges whether great or small) and how the family would be blessed by the mission. If the blessings that come from us serving a mission are as great as when Jared, Amanda, and Spencer served THEIR missions we will have so many blessings bestowed on our family that we won't be able to contain them all! We can be a blessing to other families too.

I am grateful for my family because I know that they support us in our desire to go on some missions and they will support us while we are gone. I just love them all from teeny to tall.

"Grandma and Grandpa are going away on a mission....I always thought it was necessary, to be young to be a missionary, what a surprise that my Grandma and Grandpa could go!" (Janene Brady)

Sharing the Gospel and the Internet

We had a very interesting Sacrament Meeting yesterday about sharing the gospel and the internet. Elder Ballard spoke in the last conference about this. His talk was the basis of the Sacrament meeting.
The Church has a website, of course. Family History is going to be going totally internet until the work is done in the temple. Missionary work can be done through sending e-pass along cards, referrals, sharing our beliefs, etc.
The whole world uses the internet, of course, and members are not behind in that.
One portion of one talk was about blogs and how they can share the gospel. I already had a link to www.lds.org and other LDS bloggers. My children and others are also linked there. I should also add www.mormon.org
I have my security settings pretty strong for who can find my blog and view it on the internet so not many people may be looking at it. But maybe someone will.
PLUS, I also have a Facebook page and should add more about the gospel on that medium.
One of the "friends" I have on facebook commented on another "friend's" picture. He said something like, "I didn't realize that the Book of Life was going to be facebook." But it sort of is. Afterall, people post their lives there for all to see. Facebook pages have been utilized in job interviews and also in a court case I read about. Why not Heavenly Father's Book of Life?
Interesting, interesting.

Finally!

We started our garden late this year. The weather couldn't decide if it was winter or spring. And since we have a short growing season we almost didn't make it.
We decided on a small garden this year. Just not enough time to take care of it although with the drip line we never have to worry about the watering.
As you can see we decided on tomatoes and zucchini. We love them both. Prior to now we have gotten a couple of nice big tomatoes and some cherry tomatoes. I love the way these cherry toms grow out on a branch. It is so cute. I was worried that the zucchini wouldn't have enough time to develop before cooler weather set in. And it didn't help that we are breaking all records for continuous heat. But finally they are coming on! Yes! These zucchinis are abot 20 + inches long.
The plan is to make fresh salsa and pico de gio. And since we are not eating that much bread we can eat the zucchini fresh but also shred it up and freeze it for later cooking.
Yum Yum. We love fresh vegetables. An added bonus is that we don't like to pay $1.49 or $1.99 a lb. for zucchini and we don't like to eat tasteless tomatoes, and for now we don't have to do that.

Where Are They Now?

My how time flies and look how my babies have grown!

What a trip down memory lane we have been taking! As we are trying to preserve our family's pictures and memories I am constantly being pulled back into the past. On Sundays I hand Robert a pile of photos and he scans them into the computer.
When the pictures show up on the screen and we can enhance them, enlarge them and really look at the details I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. Maybe a little of both.

It was a good time. Good Memories. I love you guys!

Shall I publish your age, Leslie?

Today is Leslie's birthday. If I publish her age I will not only be telling on her, BUT I will be telling on me. Do I care if people know that I am 54? Hmmm.....

Well then.

25 years ago Leslie Inez was born in Slidell, Louisiana. She is daughter # 4. We had a fun time that evening before she was born. We went to a softball game where Robert was playing. I sat in a lawnchair wondering if I was truly in labor or just getting ready. No regular contractions had set in. We made it through the whole game.
After the game we drove to the Bishop's Storehouse. Joe and Carolyn Clark were the Storehouse Managers and they actually ended up at the hospital at one point. The suggestion was to play cards. That didn't really sound fun at the time. I just wanted to be with Robert and have the baby born.
I don't remember who took care of the other kids. Wow. It pays to write things down, huh?
My labor never did become regular so I ended up having a pitocin drip. I guess it helped. After a while they gave me first epidural. I hadn't had pain killers for deliver before except for 5 minutes before Jared was born. (Saddle block)
This is terrible, but I don't remember what time of day she was born. I will have to see if I can look that one up. But I do remember that she was 7 lbs 14 oz., the exact same weight as Sara. And she had a perfect little round head like all my babies.
Robert and I had discussed what to name the new baby. BTW we didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. Ultrasounds were not regularly performed anciently, only if there was a problem. I don't remember what the boy name was but I clearly remember how we came up with the girl name.
Leslie Corday was a news anchor on a station in New Orleans. I heard her name and really liked it. Within minutes of Leslie being born while she lay in my arms and we checked her out, (Yep! 10 fingers and toes. 9 on the apgar. Dark hair. Perfect.) I asked her if she liked the name Leslie and it almost seemed as if she lit up and jumped at the name. So I said, "Leslie it is!" Then we chose Inez for Robert's mother, Inez Lorraine.
When we brought Leslie home, Amanda wanted to take over. most of the time that was great. Once I heard the front door open and when I walked into the room, Amanda had Leslie in the stroller and was getting ready to take her outside. I suggested we wait for a while. Leslie was 2 weeks old.
Leslie didn't sleep through the night or even want to go to bed until she was almost a year old. We used to put her in the crib together, proclaiming our intentions to head off to bed too. We would turn off all the lights and sit in our bedroom quietly for about 10 minutes. Why we didn't just go to bed too is beyond me. I know we needed the sleep. After she grew up, Leslie was the typical teen who only wanted to sleep.
Leslie was grumpy when she got up in the mornings. We used to be as quiet as possible for a while. That isn't necessarily easy with 4 other children, but our children weren't all that loud anyway. Les didn't like normal breakfast foods either, so every morning once she was eating regular food she had a baked potato.
As she got older Leslie would often come to me and ask to sit on my lap. She would say, "Hold me."
Now Leslie is a mother herself of 2 beautiful little girls.
Happy Birthday, Leslie! I hope you have a great day.

See? Amanda has her baby girl.


Daddy-Daughter Party
















At Amanda's Graduation Party


This is me with Leslie's daughters.

Wordle

Just go here. I have not figured out how to add to my blog yet. BUT I WILL!

http://wordle.net/create

Wordle

On Beth's blog she wrote about something called Wordle. I want to try it but I don't know if it just takes your last post, your whole blog, or a new blog. I am going to try it and hope that it doesn't screw up all my hard work.

If it takes the last blog (this one) then I want it to use certain words. I understand that the words used the most are bigger or bolder, etc.
Here are my words:
Robert Janice Ottley Poppa Grammie Love Jared Amanda Sara Beth Leslie Spencer Love Adrienne Taylor Andrew Cameron Olivia Sawyer Parker Love Dan Jayme Jessica Kyle Love Ryan Kimberly Jeremy Love Brian Alexa Ayla Love Husbands Wives Children Grandchildren Happy Joy Love Gospel Love Nikki Love Reading Love Sewing Love Sunshine Love Music Love Singing Love

Wish me luck. If it works I might try other word groups at other times. It looks like fun.

Cam Bam Funny Man Has A Birthday

Cameron turns 5 today. He is one of our funny men and he loves math. One time I was babysitting him and his sibs and we sat down and I wrote math problems on a piece of paper. He finished those and we did more. We did about 6 pages of math problems. If you give him a math problem to do in his head he will either get it or be pretty close which tells me that he understands the concept.
He likes jokes and he usually has a sort of mischievous look on his face with dancing eyes. He dresses up in ridiculous costumes and I dare not post the latest picture of that. He wouldn't live it down.
He is our first brown eyed grandchild.
He keeps up with his big brothers just fine, thank you very much.
Cam is Mr. Skinny. His pants always fall down. I usually think at the time that he needs to have suspenders because even a belt doesn't work all that well.
And Cam is a lover. He is cuddly for a boy of 5 years but first you have to get him away from the Wii, computer, or Gameboy.
Go Cam and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Andrew's Birthday

Today is our Andrew's birthday. He is 6 years old.
As you can see from this picture Andrew was born a little early and under trying circumstances. Poor little boy. Poor tired family. It put them through the wringer. Of course we were living in Colorado and were only of marginal help. I was able to go down for a week. To show you how confused my thinking gets I can't remember if we went down twice? Someone remind me. I know we were there while he was still in Slidell in the hospital. Then I know he went to Children's Hospital in New Orleans and then he came home. I don't remember if I was there for the week to help while he was in Slidell? Or were both of those times the same. Whew. I better do more crossword puzzles.
We also went down for his Blessing. But I do remember going down and there was a hurricane coming. Iris, I think?
(One side note story: When Adrienne and I went with the children to John Slidell Park to fill sandbags we left the boys in the car. Wouldn't you know it that Taylor locked Andrew, a preemie needing special attention in the car. Taylor thought it was great to have the police come to open the door. Of course, Adrienne and I did not.)
Jared went on a business trip. Robert came at the end of the week but he was not there either WHEN ADRIENNE AND I HAD TO SANDBAG!!!! I had never filled or used sandbags the whole 21 years we lived in Louisiana so this was a new experience. It's a good thing we had them too.
Anyway, Andrew is growing up. He is very bright and uses big words in a combination that most adults don't. Beth said that one time he also brought her a blanket to put over her legs to make her more comfortable. He is very intense too and we found out that he has a form of autism. Asperger's Syndrome.

"Asperger syndrome (AS), one of the autistic spectrum disorders, is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by an inability to understand how to interact socially. AS is commonly recognized after the age of 3. People with high-functioning autism are generally distinguished from those with AS because autism is associated with marked early language delay. Other characteristics of AS include clumsy and uncoordinated motor movements, limited interests or unusual preoccupations, repetitive routines or rituals, speech and language peculiarities, and non-verbal communication problems. Generally, children with AS have few facial expressions. Many have excellent rote memory, and become intensely interested in one or two subjects (sometimes to the exclusion of other topics). They may talk at length about a favorite subject or repeat a word or phrase many times. Children with AS tend to be self-absorbed, have difficulty making friends, and are preoccupied with their own interests."

Andrew's parents suspected for a while that he had autism. After he was diagnosed they got to work on getting him the attention needed. So he has an occupational therapist, I believe and an aid at school.
He is a cute little boy and we love him alot. We watch with vivid interest the progress he makes and want to learn what we can do to help him and his parents and siblings as well.



Andrew and Poppa at the Denver Temple Visitor Annex.









Happy Birthday Andrew! I tried to call you tonight but the phone was acting weird. I hope you had a fantastic day and that your present arrived! We love you.