Tribute to Mary

Is it just me, or does Christmas feel like it came about two months early this year? It does not feel like Christmastime to me. I've been struggling to get into the spirit of the holiday as a result.

But don't get me wrong, I still love Christmas. It truly is the very best time of the year. I've had the privilege of putting together two Christmas programs for my church this year - one for our ward Christmas party, and one for Christmas Day.

It's been incredibly rewarding to be a part of all that. Nothing brings the Spirit like music does, so naturally, I included a lot of it in both programs.

The first one was performed at our ward party back at the beginning of the month. I originally wanted to get a young couple in our ward with a brand-new baby to play Mary and Joseph, but they weren't sure they would be able to come. So I tried another couple, who also had a baby. But they were going to be doing something else for the party that night, and wouldn't be able to play Mary and Joseph. So, it ended up being my husband and me playing the parts, with the loan of another couple's baby as the infant Jesus.

I've always loved Mary. In every account in the scriptures that involves her, she comes across as a woman of incredible faith, grace, and courage. In the next life, she's one of the people I most would like to meet. This is a woman who, as a mere girl, accepted the charge to become the mother of the Son of God. I can't even imagine how incredible and terrifying that must have been. Aside from the whole "unwed mother" thing, and the gossip and scorn that came with it, there was the prospect of having to raise the Son of God. Mothers are the greatest influence in their children's lives, and raising any child is a challenge. To raise the Savior... that had to have been an awful lot of pressure for her. But she didn't hesitate. She gracefully accepted the call, and the rest is history.

One of my favorite scriptures about Mary comes from a passage about the Savior in the Book of Mormon (Mosiah 3:5-8). It says, "And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.

 “And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

 “And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.”

That's it. That's all it says about her. Just, "...and his mother shall be called Mary." But when you put it into context with the rest of the passage, it's truly beautiful. The passage is all about the Son of God, and the works He would perform. Its purpose is to illustrate just how magnificent Christ is. And the fact that it ends with a mention of His mother tells me that her part was not merely to bring Him into being. She truly, literally, was His mother. She raised Him, and taught Him, and helped Him on His path. She wasn't just a minor character in the Savior's life. She was part of its very center.

It was an honor to portray her in our Christmas program. Sitting in our decorative stable, gazing at the baby in my arms and picturing what Mary must have been feeling... it touched me deeply. I'm so grateful for that amazing woman, and her part in the Savior's story. I hope to be able to have the kind of faith that she did, and answer every call from God, big or small, with the same kind of unwavering obedience. And though I'm not in any hurry to depart this life, I do look forward to the next, when I can meet her face-to-face and thank her for everything she did to help make the Savior's life and sacrifice possible. 

Merry Christmas!

My little angel poses with the stable.

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Twenty-Four

Today is the last "day of Thanksgiving" here on my blog, at least for this year. I have to say, it's been a lot of fun writing these. There were very few days where I struggled to think of something to write about. I have a lot to be grateful for in my life. It's been nice to be so reminded of that fact.

Since this is the last day, I decided to write about the one person I'm more thankful for than anyone else. This person is the direct center of my heart, and the supreme example of who I want to be. He's done more for me than I can possibly imagine, and continues to help, love, and fight for me even now. He made it possible for me to have the experiences I've had in this life, and for me to fix my mistakes. He gave me my family, and paid the price so that I can be with them forever. I owe Him everything, and I will never be able to repay that debt.


But He loves me anyway!

I'm talking, of course, about my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I thought it especially appropriate to end my "days of thanksgiving" blog entries with Him, as not only is He the most important thing in my life, but also because as Thanksgiving ends, the Christmas season begins. And, as they say, "He's the reason for the season."

It's with a heart full of love and gratitude towards my Savior that I turn my thoughts to Christmastime, and the miracle of His birth.

I've had the opportunity over the past few days to put together two Christmas programs. One is for the nativity program at our Christmas party, and the other is the program for church on Christmas Day. I suppose I get chosen for these things because I'm good with music, theater, and writing. And also, because I volunteer.

But it's truly been wonderful to be immersed in the nativity story. As I've written the programs, and searched the scriptures for appropriate verses, and thought about what songs would fit best with what part of the story, and pondered the story itself, I've felt the Spirit so powerfully. Every time I read this, for example, I'm filled all over again with a burning love for the Savior and a desire to do anything and everything He asks of me:

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”  - Isaiah 53:3-5

I'm grateful  for the opportunity I have for the next month to be reminded of the Savior's birth on a constant basis. I'm grateful for this time of year, when people cast aside their typical distrust and indifference, and try to be more Christlike people. I'm grateful for my faith, and the knowledge that I have that the Savior is the literal Son of God, and that He lives. 

And more than anything, I'm grateful for Jesus Christ. I would be nothing without Him. 

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

- Isaiah 9:6

(Pictures from the lds.org media library)

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Twenty-Three

I love my husband, and I think he's pretty much perfect. But today, I discovered one major flaw.

He thinks the movie, "The Tooth Fairy," isn't bad for a mediocre film.

But he's wrong. It's terrible.

Even so, I think I can look past that flaw. He did watch it for the first time on his deployment, after all, when he was far from home, bored, lonely, and probably a little bit crazy. So we'll give him the benefit of the doubt on the topic and just let it go.

He's worth it, after all. He's the handsomest, sweetest, most devoted husband on the planet.

I didn't always have such a high opinion of him, though. When we first started dating, I really only saw him as my ex-boyfriend's little brother.

Yes, I dated his older brother. It wasn't a long relationship, and we were mostly just good friends anyway, so no, it's not that big of a deal.

Anyway, because he was my ex's younger brother, and because he was younger than me (by 11 months), I didn't take him too seriously. I just thought of him as kind of a nerdy kid.

Yeah, he's still kind of nerdy. But I love it. :)

In my defense, he was incredibly nerdy. He still is, as a matter of fact. He loves science fiction and fantasy, he's good at math, he stands with his feet in third position like a ballet dancer whenever he's just standing around talking to people, he does musical theater (and does it well!), he ballroom dances,  he was in marching band in high school and college, he enjoys watching ballet, he doesn't care much about sports (except soccer), and when we first met, back when I was dating his brother, Ben wore cargo shorts with a hawaiian-print shirt, knee socks, sneakers, and a fishing hat.

He sounds dreamy, huh? ;)

It was a few years later that we started dating, and none of that had really changed. Although because he had been on a mission for a few years, his clothing options were even more limited, and he truly had no clothes that fit him correctly.

He was sweet, though, and handsome once you got past his clothes, so I agreed to go out with him.

I also took him shopping.

To my surprise, he cleaned up very well! He looked so handsome in his new, properly-fitting clothes that my heart sped up a little.

Still, I had my doubts that our relationship would go anywhere. I still was thinking of him as my ex's little brother, I guess, rather than as a man.

Imagine my surprise when, after just a few dates, he asked me to be his girlfriend.

I tentatively decided to give it a try. I had enjoyed my time with him, although it had been awkward at times, so I thought it was worth a shot.

Then, a few days after that, he dropped the bomb on me.

"We're either going to break up or get married. Why don't we figure out which one it is?"

Clearly, we're made for each other

Have you ever heard anything so romantic?

But somehow, possibly because he had caught me so off guard, I agreed to fast and pray about it with him.

We spent a lot of our day together that day, just talking and getting to know each other more. Finally he had forced me to see him, not as my ex's little brother, but as a man who was considering proposing to me.

And I was considering accepting.

Over the course of our conversation, we found ourselves sharing memories and explaining traditions our families had for Christmas. As we talked about those traditions, I realized we were discussing how we would incorporate those traditions into our own family, with our own children.

I realized that I had my answer.

The thought of us celebrating Christmas together, creating our own traditions, felt right. It was so easy, comfortable, and natural. It felt like the most obvious thing in the world.

Acting out the Nativity

A little while later, Ben went home. After he was gone, I found myself growing giddy and excited. I knew that I had my answer, and that Ben and I were going to get married. He had no idea that I'd received my answer, so I was the only one who knew I would be getting engaged soon.

I had to tell someone!!!!


So I ran down the hall to my friend's apartment. I guess that means that, officially, she knew about it even before the groom did.

Funnily enough, the same thing happened when I found out I was pregnant with Evie. Ben wasn't home, so I ran next door and told my friend. Poor Ben. He should really be the first to know these things, but he's been cursed with a wife who can't keep a secret!

The next day we got back together, and discussed the results of our fasting and prayer. Of course, we were on the same page. There was no ring, no date, no kind of official plan yet... but there was a commitment.

We were engaged.

And I haven't seen him as my ex's little brother since. At least, not for more than the occasional very strange second or two.

Halloween 2011

He's not so nerdy to me anymore, either. All of those "nerdy" aspects are just... Ben. They're just part of who he is. And I love him more than life itself, so all of those nerdy traits have become endearing.

Let's face it, he has plenty of "cool" in him, too. He's a freaking Air Force pilot, for crying out loud! And he's planning to go to med school and become a doctor. And he's good at video games, great at composing music and picking out harmonies, he can play the guitar and the drums, he's a great singer and actor, he sometimes runs a 10k every day just for fun, he's an incredible husband and father, and he's insanely handsome.

And, for some inexplicable reason, he's madly in love with me. I know without a doubt that he would literally do anything for me. And I also know without a doubt that he will never leave me. We will be together forever.

Ben is the ultimate proof that God loves me. No matter how good I've been in my life, there's no way I could have been good enough to deserve a husband like Ben. I'm pretty sure it's impossible to be that good.

But somehow he ended up in my life, and fell in love with me. Of all the girls in the world, Ben fell in love with me!!! It doesn't make sense! All I can figure is that God must love me a whole lot, to have given me Ben.

I love you, Ben. You're my heart, my soul, my universe.


And let's face it - I'm totally a sucker for nerdy guys. :)

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Twenty-Two

Today was already the day I was planning to talk about my little girl, but it seems especially appropriate as I'm feeling my infertility very keenly today.

That's not to say that I'm getting down on myself for being fertile, or angry at God, or feeling bitter toward my pregnant friends like I used to. Thankfully, I've grown beyond all that. It took more than three years, but I did learn to accept God's will and timing. My heart is at peace.

But still, every once in a while I just feel it more. The longing for more children. The wistfulness as I watch most of my friends pass me by. The ache in my heart as I hear my daughter tell me how badly she wants brothers and sisters.

I don't think that makes me a bad person. I think it just makes me human.

And most of all, I feel an overwhelming love and gratitude for the angel child that I do have, my little girl, Evelyn.

She is truly the most beautiful, sweet, charming, lovable little girl I have ever met. Granted, I'm completely biased, but I'm totally okay with that.

The many moods of Evie

From the time she was a baby, Evie has been enchanting me. She's always had a cheerful personality, and once she learned to talk we discovered that she had a great sense of humor as well. Here are just a few of the quotes I've recorded from her over the years:

Age Two (barely)

(Quoting Shrek 2, because when she was first learning to speak she often communicated in movie quotes)  "Mama! For five minutes, not be self??? FOR FIVE MINUTES!!!"

"The moon is following us! It's intolerable!"

Riding the horse at May Farm during her 5th birthday party

Age Three

"Monsters don't speak 'horsie.'"

(At bedtime) 
"Mama, don't leave! I'll get scared!" 
"Scared of what?"
"Scared of... something dangerous!"

(When asked if she wanted to bear her testimony in church)
"Testimonies are not for me!"

"The clouds keep the sun warm."

"I'm not a angel! I'm a dog."

Me: "How many squishy hugs do you want tonight, Evie?"
Evie: "Um, three."
Me: "How many big ones and how many little ones?"
Evie: "Two little and one big."
Me: "Wha-? Whoa! That was basic math! When did you learn that???"

"I'm not a angel, I'm a small donkey."

"I'm not cute! I'm amazing!"

"My mom is a mean mom. She makes me eat healthy food."

(As part of a game) 
Me: "Who would you not want to be stuck in an elevator with?"
Evie: "Hmmm... A dinosaur."

"I love my mom, because she took a shower."

Me: "What's the opposite of aunt?"
Evie: "Millipede?"

(When Evie was learning about the differences between boys and girls)
Me: "What do boys have that girls don't have?"
Evie: "...a hairy bum?"

At the Renaissance Festival

Age Four:


(To Ben) Evie: "You're a cheater!"
Ben: "What do you think 'cheat' means?"
Evie: "It's when you frustrate your daughter!"

"My nose is drooling!"

"Mom! Mom! Mom!"
"What?"
"My feet smell like bread."

"Mom, one time in my bathroom there was a very small centerpiece bug, but I killed it."

(First day of Ben's deployment, Evie woke up crying because he was gone)
Me: "We'll have lots of fun while Daddy is gone. We're going to go to Idaho in three weeks!"
Evie: "But Daddy isn't in Idaho!!!"

"Mom, my neck hurts."
"Bummer! Why does it hurt?"
"I dunno. Maybe birds pecked at it."

(After her cousin, Jack, was born)
"Jack is so cute I'm gonna explode, but not for real."

Evie: "Mom, do I get to eat dinner, too?"
Me: "No, you don't get to eat anymore. We're going to let you waste away to nothing."
Evie: (glaring at me) "You know I take karate."

Earning her first stripe in karate

Age Five:


(singing) 
"Nothin' gonna jingle till ya jingle your teeth! That's the jingle bell rock!"

"Mom, your dress has squares on it! Squares are ugly."

"God created men to help the women make babies."

(After her hamster, Dave, died)
"Now he's in his little hamster cage in heaven!"

(While I was goofing around, wearing a scarf on my head like a turban)
Me: "Do I look pretty?"
Ben: "Yep. You always look pretty."
Evie: "No, you don't. He's just lying."

Haha! Oh, man, that kid. She cracks me up. And clearly, now that we've got "honesty" down, it's time to work on "tact."

In her prize-winning Mad Hatter Halloween costume

Evie has gotten even more interesting as she's gotten older. She's always enchanted me, but now she boggles me, too. Her latest thing is an obsession with "fanciness." She will only wear clothes that she thinks are fancy, and has started going by "Evelyn" rather than "Evie," at least at school. I always forget and call her "Evie."

She's also very concerned with being the best at everything. I'm trying to teach her that it doesn't matter if you're better than everyone else, as long as you're the very best "you" you can be. She's not really catching on to it yet, though. She gets very upset whenever somebody beats her at something, and if I dare to compliment any other little girls she acts like I've insulted her somehow.

I'm glad she's got a good sense of self-esteem. On the other hand, I'm wondering what more I can do to get the lessons on "good sportsmanship" and "humility" to sink in.

Hopefully this is just a phase!

Aside from all that, though, she's darn near perfect. I suppose it's no wonder she's got so much confidence. She's gorgeous. She's outgoing and friendly. She's smart. She's a talented dancer. She's photogenic. She's got a fantastic memory. She's creative. She's got a strong testimony. She's adorable. And she's definitely precocious.

Did I mention that she's had more than one boy fight for her attention?

Heaven help us when she becomes a teenager!

Evie and her "boyfriend," Evan.
("But not a kissing boyfriend, Mom!")

I'm so proud of her, though. She brings so much joy to my life. And one of the best qualities about her is one she hasn't been able to develop much yet, but hopefully will in the future: she's going to be a great big sister.

She has been praying for brothers and sisters for a couple of years now. She loves babies, and she's very sweet with them. She's generally helpful around the house, and is always willing to fetch things for me. She's extremely aware of what's safe and what's not, and she's not afraid to let others know when they're doing something dangerous.

Evie is seriously going to be the world's best big sister. As heartbreaking as it is that it's taking so long for that dream to come true, I know that it will happen eventually. And when it does, Evie will be there, helping me with every new baby, making things a little easier.

I love her to the moon and back again.

She's my angel.

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Twenty-One

My life has been a fairly easy one. That's not to say that I've never had trials, because of course, everyone does. But mine have never been so unbearable that I couldn't handle them. And while I know that this is partly because none of my trials have been a very big deal, I also know that this is partly because of the way my parents raised me.

My parents raised me to have a strong testimony of Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. Because of the faith they instilled in me as a child, I have a personal relationship with God as an adult. I know without a doubt that I can rely on God no matter what my struggles are, and He will give me the strength I need to get through them.

My parents had a framed poem in their home that I'm sure most of you are familiar with. It's called "Footprints in the Sand." For those of you who don't know it, here it is:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

- Mary Stevenson

Now, I don't know for sure if this is the exact version that hangs in my parents' home (apparently there are three versions), but the story is the same in all three. 

And it gets me every time.

I can't remember a time when I didn't know this poem and the message in it. It's been hanging in my parents' house for as long as I can remember.

Along with that, there have always been pictures of the Savior, temples, and other things that remind people of God displayed in my parents' home.

My parents created a little piece of heaven on Earth, and that's where they raised my siblings and me. They surrounded us with reminders that we were God's children, and that we could turn to Him with any problem, big or small. 

And my parents not only taught us through our environment, they taught us through their own wonderful examples.

I literally believe that I have the very best parents in the existence of ever. There is almost nothing I would change about them. Are they perfect? No. Nobody is. But they're about as close as it's possible for mere mortals to get. 

My father was a perfect example, for me, of what a man is supposed to be. I watched the way he treated my mother, and knew that that was what I wanted in my own husband. 

Father-of-the-bride and matron-of-honor
hangin' out at my sister's wedding.

My dad truly believes my mother is the most gorgeous woman on the planet. He adores her. When I was younger, I would always act disgusted when my parents showed any kind of affection in front of us, but really, I was proud that my parents were so in love with each other. And, as the years have gone by, I've become even more aware of just how much they really do love each other. My dad has frequently "confided" in me about just how gorgeous my mom is, probably because he can't help but brag about his wife. 

Is it any surprise that I married a man who's a lot like my own dad? What woman wouldn't want to be adored like that?

On top of that, my dad was wonderful with me and my siblings as well. I can't even count the times he made me laugh, or called me "sweetie," or bought us a treat at the grocery store "just because." 

Wise man say, "Bring underwater camera to family reunion,
create many goofy memories!"

He was also my role model for what a husband should be when it came to fulfilling his calling as a priesthood holder. 

Dad always took charge when it was time for family prayer, or family home evening. Even when the kids were being grumpy or difficult, he made sure we got it done. And I know we were better because of it.

He was always willing to give us a blessing as well, any time we needed one. I got a father's blessing every year when school started. And I know that those blessings helped give me the courage to face the school year  more than once. 

How Ben ever worked up the courage to ask for my hand,
I'll never know.

One of my very favorite memories of my dad, though, is from my wedding day. 

We were at the reception, and my dad and I were performing the traditional daddy-daughter dance. The song was "Butterfly Kisses," and I knew that I would probably cry. But my mom was hovering nearby with a camera, just waiting for the waterworks to start, so my dad and I agreed that we would try to thwart her by keeping our emotions in check.

Near the end of the dance, my dad told me, "I always hoped that you would find a man who would love you as much as I love your mom. I'm so happy that you have."

And that did it. We both started crying like babies. My mom had put away her camera by then, though, so we still managed to thwart her. ;)

I love my dad so much. Until about seven years ago, he was the man in my life, and that's not something a girl just forgets. My dad is one of the most incredible people in the world, and I'm so blessed to be his daughter. 

My dad is a pretty fantastic Gaffer, too!

No man is complete without a partner, though. Ideally, his partner is one who makes him his very best self. And my dad's perfect partner came in the form of a beautiful, loving, gentle angel. 

I call her "Mom."

Isn't she beautiful?

My mother is who I want to be. On TV, people always laugh when a character does something crazy, then says, "Oh no! I'm turning into my mother!!!" But honestly, if I turn into my mother, I'll be totally proud. 

My mom is my hero. I cannot remember a time in my life when she didn't treat me with love and kindness. That's not to say she never got mad at me. But when she did, it was totally justified. Every punishment she doled out to me was because I had a lesson that I needed to learn in order to grow. 

And often, especially as I got older, the greatest punishment came from the disappointment in her eyes when I made a bad decision. I hated to see her look disappointed. It was agony. I loved my mom so much, that I just wanted her to be proud of me all the time. Unfortunately, I wasn't always worthy of it. What teenager is? But even during those moments when she was disappointed in me, I knew that her disappointment came from her love. She knew what I had the potential to achieve, and to be. She knew that I was capable of more. Even now, she sees more greatness in me than I'll ever see in myself. 

Reading "Too Many Daves" to her nieces, nephew, and granddaughter

My mom always filled our house with warmth, love, and good smells. We always had family dinner together. Now that I'm a mom myself, I realize what a Herculean task that must have been for my mother. There are many days where I just don't have it in me to cook a meal and have it ready at a decent time for my family. We often end up eating grilled cheese and applesauce. But that was never the case when I was growing up. No matter what my mom was dealing with in her day-to-day life, we almost always had a hot, home-cooked dinner together. 

Those dinners together brought us closer as a family, too, I believe. We were able to get together every day, talk about what was going on in our lives, and laugh together. And even when we were cranky, or being forced to eat something we didn't like, we couldn't deny that our food was made with love. And we were grateful for that love.

Three generations enjoying Disneyland together

It's difficult to explain how great my mom is with examples like "home cooking" and "well-deserved punishments." I don't feel like I'm doing her justice. I suppose anyone who's had a mom like mine will understand, though. 

Joseph, Evie and Mom. They're such good sports. :) 

One last note about my mom: she's totally, awesomely, hysterically weird. I mean, she and my dad would both almost have to be, considering how my siblings and I all turned out. But truly, she's delightfully weird. 

I remember seven years ago, I was home for Christmas. "Home" at the time was Bucharest, Romania. I was engaged to Ben, and feeling generally giddy. My sister and I started joking around with each other about whatever we were doing at the time. 

"That looks weird." 

"You look weird!" 

"Your face looks weird!" 

Right around then, my mom popped into the kitchen and announced, "Your mom's face looks weird!"

Yeah, she's rockin' that hat.

She's awesome. :) I think that pretty much clears things up on that subject, right?

To sum up: I, Cassie, have been blessed with goodly parents. I seriously cannot imagine anyone having better parents than my own. I feel bad for all the people in the world who don't have my parents, my own child included (she gets to have them as grandparents, though, so I guess she'll be all right). I'm sure that lots of people have fantastic parents - my husband, for example, has phenomenal parents! - but still. 

Mine are the best. 

I love you, Mom and Dad. 

Mom, Joseph, Lyssa, Dad and Evie at our family reunion in Park City

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Twenty

"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of other things! Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings! And why the sea is boiling hot - and whether pigs have wings."

Shoes - They keep your feet warm and dry. Two thumbs up.

Ships - I'm all for them, especially if they're of the "cruise" variety. I'd really enjoy getting to know more about that particular subject.

Sealing wax - I really have no opinion on this.

Cabbages - I can take 'em or leave 'em, really. But hooray for veggies!

Kings - I prefer a democratic society.

Why the sea is boiling hot - It's probably because the sun sinks down into it at the end of every day.

Whether pigs have wings - My guess would be, "Only if they've been drinking Red Bull."

And now, onto other "other things."

Namely, my siblings!

My brothers, during my sister's wedding.

I've already dedicated a post to my brother, Daniel, because it was his birthday on the twelfth. So if you need to read all about him, you can check out his post, here. The rest of this entry is dedicated to the other three crazies I'm delighted to call my siblings.

Let's take it from the top - namely, with Andrew, because he's the tallest.

Andrew is awesome. And that pretty much sums it up, but I'll go into greater detail anyway.

Andrew is my brother who's just younger than me in age. In spite of his youthfulness in comparison to myself, he has been taller than me for about half of my life. He's living proof that "younger" doesn't necessarily mean "shorter" - something I'm still trying to explain to my five-year-old.

Did I mention that his face is made of rubber?

Granted, all my other siblings are proof of the same thing. I guess I'm just short.

Anyway, Andrew is one of the most talented individuals I've ever met. He's very musical, although he doesn't play many instruments. He can sing, and he can pick out songs on the piano in spite of his limited training on that particular instrument. He's just got an ear for it. He's also a pretty good actor, and an incredible artist. He started drawing cartoons in high school. Every day when school let out he would hand me a wad of his latest cartoons, which I'd read on the bus ride home. They were delightfully funny. I still remember his comic strip about the streaking platypus, who got arrested for public indecency after shaving off all of his fur. And then there was the comic series about the beavers who decided to create their own country, which they named "Dam Nation." Good stuff.

Clearly, along with his artistic abilities, he's also got a great sense of humor. I literally laugh more when I'm around him than I do around anyone else. I think the first time I really realized how funny he was was when we were in London. He was 9 or 10 and I was 12. We were sitting around the table, drinking water and talking. I don't remember what he said, but I do remember laughing so hard that I spit water across the table, and possibly squirted a small quantity of it out of my nose.

Andrew "playing" with Evie (aka, letting her
squirt him with a water bottle)

Another of my fondest memories of him was when we were living in El Salvador. We had a pool in our backyard, and one day we were playing out there. We were all pretending to have imaginary friends who were playing mean tricks on us while we swam. My imaginary friend, "Fred" kept grabbing me by the leg and dragging me around the pool. Andrew announced to all of us that his imaginary friend "Snerdly" was allergic to water, and therefore would leave him alone.

About 30 minutes later, Andrew started shrieking and dunking himself in and out of the water. "Snerdly!!! Stop!!! Aaaah! Guys, Snerdly is trying to drown me!!!"

As Andrew dragged himself to the wall of the pool, I called him out. "I thought Snerdly was allergic to water!"

Andrew, with his eyes wide and frightened, turned to me and responded, "So did I!!!"

He's a quick one, that brother of mine. And as he's gotten older, he's only gotten funnier and awesomer. He's handsome, he speaks Russian, he's smart, he's fantastic with kids, and he's really a great catch. Whatever lady he decides to marry someday will be lucky indeed.

Then we have my sister, Alyssa. Growing up, she was always the pretty one. I was always completely jealous of how sweet and beautiful she was. Loving her just came naturally for everyone. People just adored her.

She even looks gorgeous when she's pregnant, underwater,
and wearing geek glasses!

I have to admit, jealousy wasn't a pretty color on me. I teased her a lot when we were kids, partly because I was jealous of her, and partly because it was easy to make her mad, and I thought it was funny. Kids can be mean, and I was no exception.

But I adored her at the same time. I hope she realized that at the time, and if not, I hope she realizes it now. She's my only sister, and I love her more than words can express.

My sister is every bit as fun and hilarious as my brothers, too. She can certainly hold her own. On top of that, she's smart, beautiful, talented, and a fantastic mom. She just had a baby back in September, and already I think she's a better mother than I am.

Chillin' like a couple of first-class citizens.

When she was a teenager, she had some health issues that led me to be concerned that she might have troubles with infertility when she grew up. I was completely distraught at the thought, because even then I knew that she was going to be a fantastic mom. The idea that she might have a hard time having kids was not an idea that I was willing to accept. So I prayed that she would be able to have kids.

And my prayers were answered! My adorable nephew, Jack, came along without any kind of undue tribulation. Instead, I'm the one who ended up with infertility problems. Go figure! But I would rather it was me than her anyway, so I figure it all worked out.

And with the birth of Lyssa's baby boy, she's already proving what I knew all along - that she had all the makings of an incredible mom. Alyssa is just naturally gifted in all the best "mom" qualities. The most important one, to me, is her gift for empathy. She always knows exactly how people are feeling, and how best to help them. Her heart goes out to anyone and everyone who's struggling. She truly has a heart of gold.

Lyssa, Lewis and Jack dressed as the Rubbles for Halloween

I suppose that I ought to mention her husband, Lewis, while I'm at it. He's every bit as fun and goofy as my other brothers, so he fits into our family pretty perfectly. He clearly worships my little sister, so that makes him a good guy in my book. On top of that, he's great with kids. And I'm not just talking about his son. He's an elementary school teacher! There aren't a whole lot of men who have the constitution to work with children all day, every day. But Lewis does it, and he does it well. He's an incredible husband to my little sis, and I'm grateful they found each other.

Next in line comes Daniel, but as I've already dedicated an entire post to him, I'll just say this and be done: Daniel is pretty much one of my favorite people in the entire world. I love that guy so much!

The baby of the family is Joseph. He's eleven. Since I'm twenty-nine, that shows what a huge age gap there is between the two of us. To be honest, when he was a baby, a lot of people assumed that I was his mom. I was almost 18 when he was born, so it was a logical conclusion.

So... yeah. This picture cracks me up. :)

Unfortunately, he was born the summer right before I left for college. It's not unfortunate that he was born - it's fantastic, because our family wasn't complete without him! - it's unfortunate because I only got a few months with him before I left home.

He was the sweetest, snuggliest baby. I still remember the Sunday before I left for college. He was being fussy, so Mom let me take him out into the hall. He was wearing these white footie pajamas with ducks or something on them, and a matching hat with bunny-ear thingies. He just curled up on my shoulder like a little kidney bean and calmed right down. I didn't want to give him up, though, so I just kept pacing up and down the hallways with him, snuggling him, and wishing I didn't have to leave him behind when I left for college. I knew I was going to miss seeing him grow up, and it pretty much broke my heart.

He was a ridiculously cute little kid, too. He had these huge blue eyes, soft blond hair that stood straight up, and chubby cheeks. He totally could have done Gerber commercials. Cutest kid in the world.

Now, of course, Joseph is eleven years old. He's in middle school, and in a couple of years he'll hit puberty and leave childhood far behind. And then I'll officially be the shortest person in the family.

For now, though, I can still call him my baby brother without making him mad. ;) And I'm so grateful that he came along, even though I had to miss so much of his growing-up years.

Joseph and Evie watching a movie together

For one thing, he's only six years older than Evie. So whenever we go visit my family, Evie has someone relatively close to her own age to play with. And she completely adores her uncle Joseph. He's her very favorite. He's a great sport about playing with her, too. Even when she's getting on his nerves, and he's tired of playing, he's still super sweet to her.

And one of my favorite Joseph stories comes from around the time when Evie was born.

Mom was trying to get Joseph excited about the prospect of becoming an uncle. She told him I was about to have the baby, and... he started to cry! My mom asked him what was wrong, and he said he didn't want to be an uncle. Eventually she figured out that he had it in his mind that, because his uncles were all grown-ups, when Evie was born he would turn "old" overnight!

Poor kid.

Joseph is a funny kid, who's talented, sweet, and great at science. And he introduced me to Phineas and Ferb, so I'll always be grateful for that. ;) He's one of the greatest kids in the world, and I can't wait to see what an incredible man he'll grow up to be.

I've truly been blessed when it comes to my family. My siblings are the best in the world. I truly wouldn't trade them for anyone. Each one of them holds a special place in my heart, and I'm so grateful that they'll be part of my family forever. God really must love me, to have blessed me with the brothers and sister that I have.

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Nineteen

Today I want to talk about my extended family. That includes my grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and in-laws.

I've always been blessed in my extended family. I grew up with two complete sets of grandparents, all of whom I knew loved me dearly. I still remember my Grandad (my dad's dad) teaching me how to walk up and down stairs correctly, one foot per step. He and my Granny were always ready with big hugs for me. And I remember that Granny frequently had a stash of doughnut holes on her kitchen table for us to pilfer. And she took it as her duty as a grandparent to spoil us rotten. :)

My mom's parents, whom I called "Grandma" and "Grandpa" are a couple of the most wonderful people I know. My grandpa has this way of wrapping his arms as far around you as they could go, and hugging you so tight that it felt like he might squeeze your stuffing out. Grandma often worried that the grandkids didn't like her, but we all loved her dearly. And as I've gotten older, I've been able to get to know her better. I've discovered that she's really a very funny lady. She plays a mean game of "Surprise Face." ;)

My aunts and uncles on both sides have always been very fun and loving. I was never completely comfortable with my cousins on my dad's side, maybe because I didn't really get the chance to get to know a lot of them, but my aunts and uncles were always some of my favorite people.

My aunts and uncles on my mom's side, though, often felt like closer relations than just "aunts" and "uncles." My mom is the second oldest child in her family, so a lot of her siblings don't feel that much older than me. It may help that they're such a fun-loving, goofy bunch, that it often doesn't seem like they ever really grew up completely. And my youngest aunts, Kathi and Kristi, always felt more like older sisters to me than aunts.

I know the cousins on my mom's side fairly well, too, because we have a big family reunion every year. It lasts about two days, and we have a whole variety of traditions. And because I'm older than all the cousins on that side, I've known almost all of them from the time they were babies. So we're fairly close.

I've been especially lucky in my in-laws. My husband's parents are two of the most kind, loving, wonderful people I've ever met. When I first met them, I told myself that I hoped I had in-laws like them one day. It wasn't until a few years later that I started dating my husband, so at the time, I didn't think there was any real possibility that they would be my in-laws someday. So I feel like I really lucked out there.

And since Ben and I got together, they really have felt like a second set of parents. I call them "Mom" and "Dad," and it feels natural. I love them dearly.

I love Ben's siblings, too. I'm especially close with the ones who were still living at home when Ben and I started dating. Those younger ones in particular feel like my own brothers and sisters. And while I haven't had the opportunity to get to know the older ones quite as well yet, I feel a little closer to them whenever I'm blessed to spend more time with them.

I wish I could go into details about every member of my extended family, and tell you all the wonderful things about each of them, but with ten aunts, nine uncles, four grandparents, two parents-in-law, eight brothers-in-law, six sisters-in-law, and a multitude of cousins, that would be a huge undertaking.

Let's just leave it at this: I'm incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful extended family, and I'm grateful for each and every one of them!

And I apologize if this blog entry seems muddled or strange. I've been really sick today, and everything is a little fuzzy. Sorry!

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Eighteen

Say hello to my little friend.

Her name is Juleigh. She's a little loony, fairly funny, and all-around awesome.

I already dedicated a blog post to her, way back when we were first becoming friends, but she's definitely one of the things I'm most thankful for, so she gets another post! Lucky girl.

Our first Sunday in Abilene, we went to church. Because that's what we do. And guess who gave a talk that day! Yup, it was Juleigh.

My first impression of her was that she was very pretty, very mature, and way too cool for the likes of me. But she did mention in her talk that they had just moved there themselves, so I thought maybe we could become friends. Neither of us knew anyone else, after all.

A couple of weeks later, we ended up sitting next to each other in class. She introduced herself, and mentioned that her husband was our home teacher. It was a short, polite conversation, but I could sense that she was as lonely for friends in Abilene as I was. I could tell there was potential for friendship. I went home that day and told Ben that I had the feeling that I was going to become friends with the girl I sat next to in class.

Turns out, she went home and said the same thing to her husband! Already our minds were becoming one!

It still took us a little while to really get our friendship going. I think it's because I was intimidated by her. As I said, she was very pretty, very cool, and seemed very mature. I'm just a goofy, chubby kid. So even though I wanted to be friends, I was very worried that she would basically roll her eyes and laugh at me.

We got to know each other bit by bit through church and playgroups. We friended each other on Facebook, and were able to get to know each other a little more.

Then, one day, she started chatting with me on Facebook. I don't remember much about the conversation, except that it was long, goofy, and funny. I was giggling like a little girl the whole time I chatted with her, with a big, nerdy grin on my face.

And the rest is history.

Yes, I am aware of how insane I look in this picture. 

I immediately knew that this was a friendship that would last for a long time. And after just one conversation, I felt like I had a new best friend. Abilene didn't seem quite so bleak and lonely anymore. And somehow, incredibly, I got the impression that she liked me as much as I liked her! Crazy, right???

We've been kind of inseparable ever since. We do crafts, throw parties, go shopping, do makeovers, have dinners, watch general conference, babysit each other's kids, chat online, hang out, and do a million other things together.

Dressed up for Boo at the Zoo

Our poor husbands have kind of been forced into a friendship with each other, because that's the only way they ever get to hang out with us. It's okay, though, because they get along well. And let's face it, it's not just women who need friends.

Juleigh is the best friend I've had in a long time, possibly ever. Part of me worries that once we move away from each other things will fizzle out. That's happened with a lot of my friendships over the years. And I hate to think that I might lose Juleigh as a friend.

At Evie's farm-themed birthday party

But if my gut feeling is right, we really with be friends forever. I can totally imagine us living in side-by-side mansions in heaven. This isn't the kind of friendship that you just forget about and leave behind.

Juleigh is the kind of friend who comes along about once in a century or so. I truly love her like a sister. I totally want to take her home to meet my parents! And, as a matter of fact, I'm going to! We're planning a trip to visit my family in Uruguay next year! My only concern there is that my parents will like Juleigh more than they like me.

Not that I'd blame them. ;)

At the Fall Fest ward activity, ready to give
Brother Woods a pie in the face!

I'm so incredibly grateful for Juleigh, and for her friendship, that there truly aren't sufficient words. I was dreading living in Abilene, because it was so far from my family, and Ben was going to be gone so much with the military. But as it turns out, I'm one hundred percent grateful that I moved here, because I never would have met Juleigh otherwise.

Thanks for being my friend, Juleigh. You're the best. :)