What a Team!

I married a wonderful woman. I love her so much and appreciate all of the things she does for me. I hope to write many more posts specifically about her and the sacrifices she makes for me and for our family. Tonight I am reminded about how I am grateful for the important things she worries about- that I hardly let cross my mind. I suppose we are a pretty good team, because there are many things I worry about, that probably don't ever cross her mind as well. For example- tonight Jamie is at her wits end trying to figure out what she is going to get Emma for her birthday- and trying to coordinate it so she gets something Emma really wants, but doesn't get something we don't want. In addition- she is already planning for next Christmas and what presents would be best to give now- or later, and how we are going to afford buying them. Jamie and I have both said- a hundred times, if it were up to me, we would be shopping the night before birthdays, and on Christmas Eve, like so many others do. I truly do no appreciate the time and effort that she puts into these decisions and how hard she works to get them something meaningful and make them feel special. The problem is- too often I take it for granted. It is about the last thing I want to worry about, and I am sorry to admit, that too often when she tries to talk to me about it- all I want to do is put it off. I think the real truth is that I trust her ability 100% over mine in the matter and I realize that anything I add or think is nothing that she has not already thought about and resolved. Unfortunately, it comes across as me not caring or appreciating what she is trying to do for our family. So tonight- as she is telling me all of the intricate details of what gifts to get for who and when to give them, all I am thinking about is how grateful I am for her taking the time and effort to figure it out- so I don't have to. Does she worry excessively about it all- absolutely. Am I grateful she does- definitely!

Jamie and gifts for the kids is only one example. Another example

involves clothing the children. I will freely admit that I don't like shopping for kids clothes. I have come to see it as a money pit that has gobbled up who knows how many thousands of dollars. The worst part is- every year, actually every season, you have to start all over again as the kids continue to grow. It requires endless coordinating, comparing, and shopping to find the right things for the right price. If it were up to me, I am certain we would find the right price, but I am less certain we would find the right things. Since it is not up to me, we always find the right things, and most of the time, the right price as well. This is not without considerable effort, however, but somehow Jamie has mastered the art of predicting the size of the children, what lines will be coming out and how they will coordinate, which lines will go on sale- and when- and how much, what items need to be bought now, and which can wait, and which stores are going to be the best place to buy it all so it will last to be passed down rather than fall apart after it goes thought the washer the first time. All of this is done a year in advance so that she can shop the clearance sales at the end of the season for clothes they will wear the next year. Again, trying to coordinate this all and find the money to pay for it all is far from my favorite thing to talk about, and generally it is quite evident in my attentiveness to the discussion- or lack thereof. However, I am truly grateful for my wife's concern and I reap the benefits every Sunday when we walk through the door and all of our children are in their matching and/or coordinating outfits and the compliments begin. As far as the price- always my biggest beef- well, all I can say is clothing kids defintely costs money. Jamie is always telling me the if I were to compare to what everyone else is spending I would see that what we spend is certainly not as astronomical as it seems, and is actually quite reasonable. As always- I am sure she is right.

I suppose we are different and bring different strengths and weaknesses for a reason. So the big question: is there any added value I bring? Who knows, but I do know that I spend plenty of time worrying about just as "silly" of things as gifts and clothes. Take car repairs and home/yard maintenance, for instance. Not very glamorous things to worry about, but things that need to be done which are often neglected. My most recent concern has been about the maintenance schedules of both of our cars. As far as the Acadia is concerned- it is a new car that I want to keep ship shape and running well. The Acura, on the other hand, is an older car that I want to keep running and avoid any major repairs if possible. To me that means keeping up to date on all of the maintenance. I am sure that Jamie agrees, but to her it means needless worrying, money, and hassle. Thank goodness for strengths and weaknesses. After more time that I want to admit, I have been able to read through all of the owners manuals and maintenance schedules and come up with a master plan for each car about what has been done, what needs to be done, and how often they need to be done to keep things running smoothly. As far as the price- well I too have research this and have compared prices at different shops vs the cost- in time and money- of doing it myself. In the past month I have had the Acadia's fuel system serviced, changed the oil in both of the cars, rotated the tires, and changed the transmission fluid in the Acura. All in all it looks like I have saved us close to $200. As for the time- I did it in my down time at work so as to not take time away from Jamie or the kids.
Could I have just taken the cars to the mechanic, allowed him to keep track of the maintenance schedules and paid out the nose to not have to worry about a thing. Probably. Could Jamie just shop on Christmas Eve and the week before birthdays at Toys-R-Us like everyone else, and buy all of the clothes in season at Jack and Janie (for the big bucks) or at Walmart (for cheap crap) and not spend so much time worrying. Yep. But we don't- and I am so thankful that I have a wife that thinks like me and worries about the things that I don't. What a team!

Chicago 2011

While January is usually a very slow month, this year we had something fabulous to look forward to. As you might recall from earlier posts, the Hoskins gave us a very special gift this Christmas: tickets to the musical Wicked. The show was playing in Chicago, so we made a trip of it to help spice up the usually cold and dreary month.

We arrived on a Thursday afternoon, picked up Grandma McArthur from the airport (she was nice enough to fly in to babysit Mason while we went to Wicked) and played at the hotel until it was time for the show. Well, played, and got ready. The girls were so excited to get all done up in the brand new dresses they got for Christmas. Maddi was especially excited for her great Hermoine-dress debut. In honor of the special occasion, I styled her hair just like Hermoine's. I confess, doing hair is not my forte, so don't laugh at his picture--but Maddi would be devastated if I didn't document her lovely hair-do.



All in all, our efforts paid off and the girls looked quite stunning for the big night. (these pictures really don't do them justice.)

 

 

Spence looked pretty handsome too, though he resisted getting his picture made at the hotel. We did catch this shot of him in the parking garage of the theater though.



As we approached the theater with the two witches plastered on every billboard, excitement radiated from everyone's countenances. It was a long awaited outing, and I was so proud of my kiddos for being big enough to attend with Nick and I.



Emma was, without a doubt, the youngest audience member in attendance, and I was surprised by the overwhelmingly kind response of the other attendees. I thought we would get a lot of rude looks and comments; however, people were astounded at the little princess that sat so politely during the show. It was, as she declared on the car ride to the theater, "Her first night as a big kid!" All of the kids were great--singing along with the music and following the story better than half of the adults present. We all loved, LOVED it! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!



The next few days we shopped and museum hopped our way through the windy city. The kids loved the Children's Museum on Navy Pier--especially the fireman exhibit and the big climbing wall.













We were also excited to discover a very warm (as apposed to the freezing weather outside) atrium inside the shopping center at Navy Pier. The kids loved watching the fountains and getting a close-up view of the world's first Ferris wheel. We wished we could have ridden the famous world's fair exhibit, but the weather simply didn't cooperate.





We did; however, make it over to see "Sue" at the field museum. She is the largest and most complete T-Rex skeleton in the world (we read about her in our Chicago fact book!).



The kids loved seeing her and were intrigued by the other wildlife exhibits, as well as by the Egyptian Mummy display. We spent most of our time; however, in the Native American exhibit. It was fun to see all of the artifacts, and to talk to the kids about the Indians in the context of the Book of Mormon. When we watched the video on how the Indians could have gotten to America, it made me realize how much gospel knowledge we take for granted. I told the kids that because of the Book of Mormon, they already know things that modern scientists are trying to figure out. They seemed pleased with this compliment, but didn't dwell on it long. Instead, they became obsessed with picking and preparing corn like the Indians did. To be honest, I became a little obsessed by it. Corn seems to be the perfect food storage food. You just grow it, pick it, and store it. It dries out and you can store it un-processed for months. Then you just grind it up when you're ready to use it. Maybe I'll invest in some more corn seeds.





While I liked the museums, some of my fondest memories of Chicago are simply walking up and down Michigan Avenue,



and our traditional stop-overs at the American Girl Store with my girls all decked out in their matching attire. It was great to take in some Chicago-style deep dish pizza at the famous Giordano's while we were there too. In fact, an old college friend of mine, Charity Morgan, works as an attorney in Chicago and was kind enough to meet up with us while we were there. It was fun to catch up on the past ten years as well as reminisce about our days in the Psych department--that's department, not ward--at the "Y".



All in all, the trip to Chicago was a great way to kick off the new year.



On our way home from Chicago, we paused in Madison, Wisconsin for lunch and a break from the drive. At one point, Nick and I thought Madison would be our home. We interviewed for a residency program here, and were both surprised by the impression we got from our short visit. For a long time, we considered doing a fellowship in Madison; but, as we drove into town this time, at least partially to check it out as a possible post residency residence, the impression was gone. While the lay-out of the city--situated in the shape on an "x" with a lake on either side and the state capital at the very center--is quite beautiful, and the education and recreation of the city is quite outstanding, it didn't call out to us quite the same after this trip.

The kids thought the Children's Museum there was fun though.



And just in case you're wondering, yes we do go to every children's museum on the planet. That's just one of the perks to having a nationwide pass!

What Do You Seek This Year?

With the onset of a new year, there are many things to ponder, many goals to set. What will I do this year? What will I become? Will life prove different, or remain much the same? What change is desirable? Some people desire physical or emotional changes. Others want financial changes, or changes in love and romance. And perhaps even a small few seek spiritual changes, a change of heart if you will. So as I enter the new year, I wonder to myself: what is it that I seek? Or perhaps, for me, the better question is: Whom do I seek? And I know what the answer is. It's quite simple, actually, what I want out of this coming year. I don't care if I lose that extra five pounds. I'm not giving up treats, or buying a gym membership I'll never use. I don't need millions of dollars or a burning romance. But I do need a relationship--one with my Savior, Jesus Christ. I need to know Him more fully, understand his life and words better, and be a better friend to Him. Elder Jeffery R. Holland, of the quorum of the twelve apostles, wrote a recent talk entitled: None Were With Him that summarizes my real desire for the coming year. I will include some excerpts of the talk here:

"I speak of the loneliest journey ever made and the unending blessings it brought to all in the human family. I speak of the Savior’s solitary task of shouldering alone the burden of our salvation. Rightly He would say: “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me. … I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold [me].”

One of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].”

My plea at this Easter time is that [the] scenes of Christ’s lonely sacrifice, laced with moments of denial and abandonment and, at least once, outright betrayal, must never be reenacted by us. He has walked alone once. Now, may I ask that [He] never again will. As we approach this holy week—Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times, but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,” for surely that is how He stood by us, when it was unto death, and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone."

May I always be worthy to stand and walk with Him--that is what I seek this year.