Paying it Forward

Look what Julie brought to me

on her birthday!

I never really got what it meant to "Pay it Forward"

Well, I kind of did but not completely, until just now.

Several years ago I started the tradition of sending my mom flowers on my birthday. I just really wanted her to know how grateful I am for her as my mother, Not only for the fact that she gave me life, but for the life that she enabled me with. When I became a mother myself and matured in that roll I really started to understand a "Mother's Love" and I could truly say, "I know" whenever she would remind me of how much she loves me. For it was then that I really did know in the marrow of my bones, that she did, with all of her heart.

The birthdays of my children are always such special days to me as I recall the day they were each born. Life doesn't offer anything else that compares, unless it's the birth of a grandchild, and watching your own grown-up children fall in love with their own brand new baby!

Parker Dane Boling

Here's my newest little love, that I get to enjoy each afternoon when his mommy and daddy's work schedules overlap. Boy, do I love him.

Cousins

We have 6 grandsons now,

but it always seems like there are more girls around than boys.

These three are the ones that make up the difference

Baby Parker came along and made our score 6 to 5, in favor of the boys.

But with Greg living in Utah, his little ones are rarely in the mix.

Just love those baby boys!

November is my Gratitude Month

As I have previously stated this blog is the closest thing I have to a journal, thus I get kind of reflective and sometimes give just TMI, too much information. That being said, I decided to share some of my gratitude that I reflected on during the month of November, my month to remember my blessings and count them just a little more than I usually do.

Earily in the month of November I got a message on Facebook, from a friend that I grew up with. The message was a challenge that I chose to accept. It really made me stop and think about the things that I am most thankful for.

This was the challenge . . . "Let's see how many people can do this. Every day this month until Thanksgiving think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for..." The longer you do it the harder it gets! Now if you think you can do it then re post this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge.

#1. Today I am thankful for . . . . a worthy Priesthood holder as my lifelong friend and sweetheart. We've been together longer than we were apart.

#2. Today, I am thankful as always for my beautiful children and the people they have grown into. They were my pride and joy when they were little and continue to be so now.

#3. Today I'm thankful for our kids that joined our family by marriage. They are all wonderful and bring unique and crazy qualities to our family. They all fill a special spot.

#4. Today I am thankful to be a grandma. I love each and every one of my 10 plus 1 on the way, grand babies. They are a true joy and i believe that my love for them is a reflection of the love I feel for their parents, my children multiplied many times.

#5. Today I am thinking about, thankful for and feeling very grateful for the blessing of my wonderful parents. When I was sent to them I hit the lottery. I have been given so much by them I can't even begin to enumerate.

#6. I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The gospel of Jesus Christ gives meaning and fullness to my life; it defines me, it is who I am and His teachings are what I need to reflect in my daily actions and relationships. I'm afraid I fall short way too often.

#7. Somehow I was so busy yesterday that I didn't get on the computer at all, imagine that! But if I had been on the computer i would have shared my gratitude thought of the day, and I did think about it all day. (#7) I am thankful for the family I married in to. I know it was an answer to sincere prayers and I have never regretted.

#8. Today, I am grateful my chosen career, of wife, mother and home maker. I have found so much joy and fulfillment in my life. I've never regret ed my choice and I'm thankful for my husband supporting that choice. I am truly a blessed woman.

#9. I am grateful for having fantastic health. I've had crazy health issues, heart surgery & RH- blood issues during childbearing years, but I am amazingly very healthy and strong. I know that is a true blessing and am very thankful for it.

#10. Today I am thankful for a living prophet on the earth today, who is God's mouthpiece to His children. I know that if I follow his council, I won't go astray. This gives me so much peace in a troubled world.

#11. I am so thankful that my husband, Gene has a great job that he loves, most of the time. He is willing to work so hard, and give us our SWEET life!

#12. How could I have neglected to state my thankfulness for my 2 brothers and 4 sisters along with their spouses? I don't get to associated with them very often because of distance but they bless my life everyday by their terrific examples. I need to be more like them all.

#13. This is the first one that I've needed to think about. I am thankful for righteous young men willing to be full time missionaries for the Lord. My nephew Will Mitchell has '"Returned with Honor" from his mission today, welcome home Elder Mitchell. I sure love you! You'll never regret the time you gave to the Lord!

#14. Today I am thankful for living in Southern California. It's colder today and it makes me realize how much I love living in a mild climate, I'm such a wussie, when it gets below 60 degrees, I start to look for my jacket and whine about being cold. I am thankful for where I live and that most of my kids live close to me, along with all my Wilson family!

#15. Today I am thankful that I get work with the youth, specifically the young women, but the boys too, through Gene, at church. It is so fun to meet with them in their meetings and try to help them understand the gospel and gain their own testimonies. I feel so blessed for this opportunity.

#16. This is defiantly getting harder! but as I sit here with my laptop I'm thankful for modern technology. Ema is next to me with one in her lap and Dane is on the desk top computer in the other room. Some times we take it for granted but what a miracle to be able to reconnect, communicate and get information instantly.

#17. I am so thankful that my three daughters and their families live close to me. I get the opportunity to share their lives with them and their darling children and husbands.

#18. I am thankful that I took this challenge to list my blessings. It has helped me stop and really count the ones that are nearest and dearest to me. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, tomorrow, be safe too.

I am really happy that I took this challenge because it forced me to slow down, reflect and then count my blessings. I'm thankful for the month of November that we dedicate to gratitude.

Becoming a Grandma for the Very First Time

Thirteen years ago on October 16, 1996, I became a grandma for the very first time. I knew I'd love any new baby born into our family, but I wasn't prepared for all of the joy this little girl would bring into my life. Our Father in Heaven sometimes answers our prayers in ways we wouldn't have thought we wanted but His blessings are limitless. When I became a grandma at 42 I thought I still wanted one or two more babies in our family, with me being the mommy. I didn't know that those prayers would be answered in the form of grand babies, but what a wonderful blessing they have all become, starting with Ema Jean.

I know I'm biased, but I had never seen a more beautiful baby in my life, she was and has continued to be an angel, and a gift from Heaven!
From the very first time I heard her heart beating at a Doctor's appointment that Brandi let me go with her too, I have loved this little one in a way that is impossible to express. Ema became the whole family's little girl. It was so nice of Brandi to share her with all of us.

She loved and embraced our family too. Here she is welcoming another one of her Heavenly friends, Kylie into our family.

She and Dane, too of course, became my littlest friends as I was blessed with the opportunity to assist with their daily care. We enjoyed many fun time especially our trips to Disneyland. Brandi needed my help but the responsibilities of daily care for these little ones helped me more at a time that I needed to be needed more than anything else.

Daily routines were the best.
At the mall

and at the park.
I love being a grandma, and now have a total of 10 sweet grand children, with one more on the way. I love them all so very much. I knew that I'd love being a grandma, but never dared believe that it could ever come close to the love that I felt for my own children. Now I understand and know that the love for our grandchildren is the love we feel for our own children multiplied at least 100 fold if not more!

Good-bye Summer 2009

Where has summer gone? Well when you walk outside, or as I think about it, if I linger in my bed past 8 a.m. I wouldn't say it's gone at all. It's still in the serious 80 degree range here but the kiddies are back in school. Nothing says fall to me more than school starting. We have had a beautiful summer, I love where I live and those whom I spend my days with. I didn't go to the beach many times and as I look at this beautiful scene I say, "why?" There's not much better way to spend a hot summer day than at the beach.

I did meet Brandi and her darling kids one day and it was so fun.

I stole both of these pictures from Brandi and Kevin's blog and the caption they had was, "More trees please" so cute. Being a grandma is sweet!

Funny, funny Pattie-pie!

Jenny already posted about this funny story on her facebook page but I wanted to share it too.

The other day I as with Jenny and her kids and she had a lot of errands to run. In between those errands we had a little down time before we needed to get Wade to speech. We were close to the OC fair grounds and re-counting the sad fact that we had missed it again this year, we were all just too busy. They have a little farm there that is open to the public for free. So we decided to go and see if it was open. It was and we went in. There were lambs, chickens, rabbits, brand new baby calves and cows and goats and mama and baby pigs. When we were by the goat pens Payton and Wade wanted to touch the noses that the goats were poking out through the spaces in the fence, probably only 4 or 5 inch spaces. If the goat tried to get his head through the space straight on it would be impossible but one wise goat with horns twisted his head to the side and maneuvered his head horns and all, through the space. Then he proceeded to stretch his neck out and sniff the little ones. Kylie freaked out, but Payton and Wade petted him a little. We were worried that the goat would be stuck now, but no, he just twisted his head again and got back into the pen the way he was supposed to be. We got a real kick out of that smart goat.

Now here's the funny part. At least 30 minutes later I heard Payton kinda talking to her self and saying, "If that goat was a real boy, I would marry him!" I said, "Payton, why would you marry him?" She said, "because he is so smart!"

Smart is a very important quality for a prospective husband!!!

Stake Play "The Wizard of Oz"

Ema and Kylie participated in our Stake Play this time. They were very committed to the many practices and performances. Ema was a dancing Poppy and a Jitter-bug, with a lot of other kids her age.

Kylie got to be a "Munchkin". It took a lot of dedication but they both really enjoyed it and both were very sad when the last performance was over. These are the only pictures I got of them before their parts, because we were asked not to take pictures durring the performances, so I didn't. I do know people who I can get more pictures from though, I'm going to try to get more.

I got to see it 3 times, once the first night with the mutual kids, then two more times because we had bake sales for girls camp.

If I had it to over again I would try to be more involved myself in things like this. My parents tried to encourage me but I was never very outgoing and hesitated at being in the spot light. I didn't participate in the dance festivals because I was afraid of who they would make me be a partner with. I disliked the road showes and just didn't want to be very involved.

Our kids were more involved because both Gene and I really regreted not being more involved our selves and they went along with our encouragement.

I know a family who's motto is . . . "Popes are Participators!" I love it, that is a great motto! I think we should all try to be more involved with life in general, it's way too short!!!

This is so true!

Thought for Today

"Mothers believe we are responsible for our children from the womb to the grave. We are connected by the longing to protect them after they leave our bodies, so the impetus for making this planet safe for them lies with us. Mark my words: It's the soccer moms who will change the world."—
Kyra Sedgwick, from O, The Oprah Magazine July 2008

Oprah was interesting today. It really made me reflect on my path in life and the wonderful joy being a mother has given me.

As life goes on, even when our children are grown, you never stop being their mom. You want to shelter and protect them from pain, emotionally and physically, but alas you have to step back and let them muddle through, stepping in only as needed to love and support. Believe me, as our children age and mature your love only grows stronger. You begin to get a small understanding of how our Father in Heaven loves and supports us as we try to make our way back to Him.

Life is Crazy . . .How does it go so fast?

It's already been a whole year since Adam joined our family, yesterday was his first birthday. We are always dissappointed about the miles between Greg and Jess and the rest of our family, and having to miss out on being with them as these milestones happen and as they grow and change is sad. So we have to rely on sweet Jess to always be up-dating their blog and sending us pictures.

Just look what a whole year can do! Adam is so cute and we wish we were able to be around him more. Sorry to have missed your first birthday sweet baby. Have mommy and daddy bring you down here and we'll all go to Disneyland, again!

Now that you can see over Dumbo's head I'm sure you'll enjoy it more.

Another Temple Open House

While in Utah last week, we went to the Draper Temple open house. It is so beautiful just like all of the other temples. It is wonderful that we get to enjoy these open houses before the new temples are dedicated. I wish that I had been able to attend one in my youth, but I really don't think there were any. Going to the temple was always a worthy and the ultimate goal for me, one that I hoped to reach, but somewhat mysterious and hard to visualize. Being able to go into a temple and see for yourself the absolute beauty and feel the spirit gives the goal more reality. It is really great for the youth to be able to experience the beauty found inside the temple to help solidify this goal into their hearts and minds more fully.

I used this poster in a lesson for the Young Women a few weeks ago. I love the temple and am so grateful for the blessings we receive there. I really hope that we can teach the youth and especially our grandchildren the reality of this statement.

"Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all decisions and has the most far reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness but with eternal joy as well."

A New Picture

I was looking through my picture files to see if I could find some more of Gene and myself together. I had to go clear back to Oct. of '07 to find these. That just tells you how bad we are at taking pictures of ourselves. Here we are just messing around with the camera one Sunday after church, hence the fancier hair do. I have never been the type of person who could just naturally "strike a pose" when a camera is pointed at me. I'd usually duck and run, hide, scowl or stick out my tongue. I have always really envied people who can just smile and say "cheese" so naturally. That could be one explanation for the lack of pictures of myself and my sweetie.
It really makes me sad though that we don't have more pictures of us through the years, documenting our life together. So, if you are reading this, take a lesson from me and take more pictures of yourself and you sweetheart together. Someday you will want to look back, not only at your babies growing up, but of yourself growing up and getting older. As you do you will see that you look pretty good now. Smile and document yourselves growing together!
Just another lesson from an older wiser sister.

The Best Part of Getting Older

The best part of getting older is becoming grandparents. This picture was taken a few years ago with our #6 and #7 grand children. We live very close to most of our family. Only Greg and Jess live in Utah. We try to see them as often as possible, but we get to see the others a lot. We are so blessed with the privilege of being a part of each other's lives.
This week Jenny went to a scrap booking convention and I was able to spend some quality time with her kids. Interacting with them as I did my own children so many years ago was so fun and brought back many fond memories. I am amazed at the amount of work it takes to care for them and keep everything else in order. I loved that part of my life so much. When I get to fall back into that roll or find myself in that situation, I know that is what I did best, and the part of me that just came so naturally as I mothered my babies. It's hard to imagine doing it day in and day out, it's very tiring, especially now, at 55.

Everyday in the company of little children is a great blessing!