Learning How To Give

This month is Thanksgiving, right? Which just so happens to be a compound word. Yup, dragged that word out of my junior high English memory. A time to give thanks. I just so happened to finish writing a story about one of the biggest giving projects in the world. Funny, I'd never heard of it until now. There is something wrong with this picture. Regardless, I decided to jump on the giving bandwagon and get the girls involved.

The giving project you ask? Operation Christmas Child. In a nutshell, you buy simple toys, school supplies, hygiene products and cram them into a shoe box to send to another child in another country. From my interviews, I learned that over 500,000 volunteers worldwide hand-deliver around 8 million shoe box gifts to hurting kids around the world. This year the focus will be on the children in Haiti as well as children in 100 other countries.

I decided that my girls needed to learn how to think about others this season and decided to do a box of our own. While we were driving to the dollar store on Saturday so they could spend some of their recently acquired money, I talked to them about spending some of their dollars to help fill a box for another little girl who has nothing in a different country. One daughter was more than thrilled to help out. The other daughter took a little convincing, but once we started picking things out at the store, she began warming up to the idea.

One of the gals I spoke to helped deliver some of the boxes in Jamaica. Once they got past the resort areas, their team realized how devastating life was for the children there. They were living in slums and school was held at a compound surrounded by armed guards to protect them from the gang wars. The kids had nothing in the way of school supplies, so they had no way to do their school work. The kids there were so excited to get paper from the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes, as well as flip flops to cover their bare feet, and a luxury - a toothbrush that one family shared as a family since they had none.

I was touched by the stories I heard while writing my story and decided we had to participate. One of the fun parts is the program encourages you to include your photo and a letter, and in some cases, the kids receiving the boxes write back. I hope my kids have learned something from the experience because I certainly did.

If any of you are interested in participating, the official collection week is Nov. 15 - 21. There are collection sites all over the country. Click here for more details http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Pack_A_Shoe_Box/

A Tale of Two Tires...by John

It was the best of roads, it was the worst of roads. Charles Dickens is rolling in his grave now! :)

Last week I had the pleasure of picking up a nail while driving through a construction zone on I15. Can you believe it, road construction in Utah! It doesn't happen very often. :) Half way through, my car started complaining about tire pressure in the right rear tire. Seriously, it knew which tire. By the time I pull over, memories of ten years earlier when I nearly cut the tread off the sidewall come back. Not a pleasant experience at freeway speeds. This time around, the tire had only deflated part way. Phew, don't need to buy a new tire!

I grew up fixing cars with my Dad, who grew up fixing cars with his Dad. Add a couple more Grandpas who have fixed a lot of cars, and I don't mind getting under the hood. It's kind of fun; I get to use repair words fixing the car! :D Anyway, I was taught that when the dash lights come on, it's too late. Many years later, I think I like these new dash lights that warn you before it's too late. Now, if I can only get the radio to work ... :)

Halloween Weekend-O-Fun (and rain)

We had a great Halloween weekend. With three Halloween parties on Friday, carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating on Saturday and Finger Making on Sunday - we lived the holiday up to its fullest.

This year John decided to cut carving time in half by bringing out his power tools.

Success. We were done in an hour, as compared to our usual several-hour marathon.

Oops. I was trying to take this picture so fast in the rain, I didn't notice that Natalie is completely blocking Kimberly's fairy pumpkin. She carved most of it herself.

And speaking of rain, this is how the girls went trick-or-treating this year because of the rain. Lucky John got to go out with them. They all came home sopping wet. Luckily, their candy managed to stay dry, though I'm not sure how. Miracle from the candy goddess I'm sure.

And last, but certainly not least, the infamous fingers. This year the girls did them all by themselves. John and I have been making them together for so long, we have a good system down - John is the perfect finger maker and I am the accessories gal. However, this year we decided to let the girls completely loose and make them all by themselves. I must say, it is the funniest tray of fingers I've ever seen! I especially love Natalie's 'blob' fingers.

Now I must begin taking down all of the Halloween decor and trading it our for Thanksgiving paraphernalia. Good thing I don't have a ton of decorations.

My Crafty Side Returns

My crafting dry spell is over - I finally got around to making this cute wreath with the help of my crafting friend, Melissa - a mere 6 days before Halloween! However, all that matters is that it is up in time for the cute trick or treaters coming by, right?

On another note, Megan has finally cut her top 4 teeth. She is back to her normal, happy self after a couple weeks of screaming torture for the Rimington household.

A Fulfilling Moment

I have spent the last 10 months working with our primary kids, each month teaching them a new song about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It all came to fruition today for their primary program. I remember opening up the manual for this year's program about this time last year and was a little surprised at some of the song choices. All good songs of course, but some of them I wondered if the kids could learn thinking that perhaps they might be a little too difficult.

However, I dove right in and discovered a most fascinating phenomenon. Not only did they learn them easily, but with gusto - like they really believed and knew what they were singing to be true. They are a testament to me that our children have been saved for this last dispensation on earth - they have stronger faith, stronger testimonies, and a determination to do what is right, especially when they are going up against so much evil in the world today.

I thought my generation was strong, and to be truthful, we are because of the kinds of things we had to face growing up, but I firmly believe that this generation coming to the earth right now have been saved for a very special purpose - and as always, the best has definitely been saved for last.

I have no doubts in my mind that these children will be ready and have the tools to go out into the world, especially when they are learning such incredible primary songs and hymns that they will take with them. I have the honor of being in their presence each Sunday and being witness to such sweet spirits.

I was touched several times during their program today, especially when they testified that "I Know That My Savior Loves Me - I Know He Lives." These children not only knew this to be true, but proceeded to sing their hearts out so others would be able to know this too.

I also think music has a special way of allowing our spirits to "hear" and feel things our Heavenly Father wants us to know. What better way to combine music with gospel principals for our children in these latter days. We learned some great songs when I was in primary, but we definitely weren't learning hymns, and some of those songs were 'I am Like a Star Shining Brightly' and 'Give Said the Little Stream.' You know these kids are special when the prophet wants our primary children to be learning songs like 'Come Follow Me.'

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it - I love being in primary, but most of all, I love being the primary chorister and wish this calling would last for a very long time. I am so lucky to be a part of something so wonderful.

UEA = Are you sure the kids can't be educated too?

So, the girls were home from school for UEA (I think it stands for Utah Education Association, or as others like to refer to it, Utahns Entering Anaheim)

We had the cousins over for a night and had a some fun at the Black Island Pumpkin Farm. Before heading out, I made them dinner with my infamous frozen ravioli and hash browns from a bag. They said I was "the best cook ever...and should go into the restaurant business." Aaron even informed me he will be dreaming about the ravioli because they were so good. I think I'll have to have them over more often for my cooking ego boost.

The pig train is a hit every time.

These two were inseparable. So cute :)

Grandpa explaining the rules before entering the corn maze so we didn't lose anyone.

Corn box anyone?

They had a ton of these fun slides.
...and some tire swings too (in the shape of horses - how cool is that?)

Even Megan got in on the action.

Last week was also Megan's first birthday. I blinked and she went from a cute cuddly baby into this even more adorable toddler that gets into everything. She adds such a sweet and bubbly personality to round out our family as our little caboose.

Going in for the kill (that is a homemade rainbow cupcake by the way)

Success!

Presents too? Life could not get any better :)

Top Reasons Why Disney is NOT the most Magical Place on Earth

If you haven't read the post below this one, read it first, then move on to this one.

Reason #1: This is not a magical place of relaxation. We literally walked between 5 to 10 miles a day. Don't the scouts do a 50 miler for one of their badges? I think we all just earned one of those - and the blisters to prove it. We crashed into bed each night and had to drag ourselves up each morning for another round of walking torture.

Reason #2: Mickey's Not-S0-Scary Halloween Party is Not-So-Fun when the Mickey fans come in droves to accumulate their Disney candy. I mean, really, we had to wait in line for candy. Where is the fun in that?

Reason #3: Why do parents keep their kids up way past their nap times and bed times to enjoy their Disney Adventure? I know, I know, we were guilty of this too. I had to remind myself that I was not allowed to get mad at my three-year-old for throwing a tantrum, when she was just overtired and yours truly had inflicted it upon herself.

Reason #4: Not the best place to have a stomach bug. Luckily, the one day we decided to sleep in and relax at the house swimming in the pool before heading off to the Halloween Party was when Alicia and her cousin Jake decided to start throwing up. Thankfully, she was better by the time the party rolled around.

Reason #5: Trips are sometimes a bit emotional, especially since this trip was meant to be done with my dad at our sides. He was excitedly planning the trip along with the rest of us two years ago when he wasn't able to go to Disneyland with us. Just two days before we were to head out with grandma and grandpa, he contracted a very nasty and painful case of Shingles. This was supposed to be his Disney redemption trip.

No one told me about this part of losing someone close to you. All of the things you had planned to do with them in the future. When the events roll around, and they are not there with you, it is really difficult.

One of the days we were at Disney World, there was another family about the size of ours all wearing red shirts that said, "In memory of..." then it listed how they were related, i.e. grandpa, dad, etc. It certainly put things into perspective when I realized we weren't the only ones missing someone on our trip.

We really had a wonderful time though despite the crowds, massive amounts of walking, and other such pleasures. Guess we'll have to start planning for the next Disney trip. Not for at least 10 more years though in my book. (In John's book, 2 more years and then Disneyland - we'll see if I still remember the top reasons why Disney is not so magical, or if I've forgotten by then - kind of like having a baby, right?)