The Great Divide

A week ago, Bishop Bell announced that our ward would be splitting.  It came as no shock, really.  After all, we had four nurseries, a primary so large that for a while they were meeting in the chapel (the only place in the building that could accommodate both the junior and senior primaries simultaneously), and two elders quorums!  There were 22 sunbeams, enough for three classes!  And while we have loved that there are so many kids our children's ages, it is difficult to manage that many people (around 630, if I remember correctly).

We all had a week to think (and stress) about it.  I am not going to lie, last week was one of the most difficult I have had in a seriously long time.  Because so many people in our ward don't have family close by, the ward becomes your family.  Perhaps I am being overly dramatic, but I really felt like our "family" was being chopped in half!  

Yesterday was hard, but good.  We became a new ward, something I have never been a part of before!  We are now in the Clarke Farms Ward, and we will be meeting from 2-5 PM.  When our Stake President announced that, there was a collective groan from the congregation.  And, yeah, it's a rough time, but personally, I probably prefer it over 1-4.  At least now I will be able to put McKay down for a short nap before church, and maybe (please?!) he might be able to sit through Sacrament Meeting.  

A new bishopric was called, and I am really excited about it.  They are about as rock-solid a group of men as you could ever hope to have leading you!  In fact, everyone that is now part of the Clarke Farms Ward was released from their callings, and our new bishopric has the unpleasant task of completely organizing a ward from the ground up.  I have no trepidation whatsoever, though, because I have complete faith that Bishop Merrell, Brother Jackson, and Brother Rummler will listen to the Spirit and organize everything exactly as it should be.  

Adam probably had a more difficult day yesterday than I did.  Bishop Merrell was the former YM President, with whom Adam served as first counselor.  And although Adam is thrilled to have Bishop Merrell as a bishop, I know that he is struggling with the fact that their almost-daily communication will not continue.  He admires and respects Bishop Merrell SO much, and he is a bit broken-hearted that they will not be serving so closely together anymore.  

The fact that he is being released from his calling was also a heavy blow for Adam.  He is in his #1 favorite, couldn't-have-hand-picked-it-better calling.  He adores the young men of our ward, particularly the teachers with whom he has served, and it kills him to think he may not be with them anymore.  When you are in your favorite spot, the only place you can go is down!

I'm feeling pretty good today.  My heart is still broken, especially when I think of certain people that are still in the Dove Valley Ward who I won't be associating with on a weekly basis anymore.  But I can say today that I am really excited to be a part of the Clarke Farms Ward.  I feel like it's going to be a solid, united, well-functioning unit.  As close as we were as the Dove Valley Ward, we have the potential to grow even closer now that we are a smaller group.
More change ahead--our stake president announced that our stake is also splitting in two weeks.  Between all of this plus losing Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz in the last couple weeks, I am emotionally drained! :-)

Grandpa.

That's what I have jokingly been calling Adam--he turned the big 3-0 yesterday!  We celebrated by having a big birthday bash on Friday night.  Yesterday, our whole family chilled in our pajamas until about noon.  That never happens (unless it's Christmas) and it was AWESOME!  The boys were so excited to give their daddy his presents.  I usually let the kids pick something out for him.  Not surprisingly, McKay chose him a baseball:

And Ty got him some Lightning McQueen cars.  I am sure Daddy will have lots of fun with those!

Adam has signed up for an Olympic Tri in June, so his parents and I got him some gear for that.

But my very favorite thing to give him was a book I created (with a lot of help from family and friends!).  30 different people wrote stories and memories about Adam, and I compiled them into a book.  He loved it as much as I hoped he would!  Thanks again to all who contributed!

I interviewed each of the boys for the book.  I'm going to post their responses because I think they're just so darn cute!

An interview with Ty, age 3 ½, about his daddy

Mom:  What is daddy’s name?

Ty:  Ad.  That’s what you call him:  Ad.  I call him Dad. 

Mom:  What do you like most about daddy?

Ty:  Daddy’s dresser.

Mom:  What do you and daddy like to do together?

Ty:  He usually plays baseball with me.  Sometimes soccer and football, too.

Mom:  What is daddy’s favorite food?

Ty:  Soup!  ( Remember that this was right after he had his jaw surgery and that's all he had eaten for two weeks!)

Mom:  If you could give daddy any present for his birthday, what would it be?

Ty:  Maybe a brand new garbage truck!

Mom:  Who are daddy’s friends?

Ty:  Jeff, and you, Mom.  Oh, and Jake’s dad, too. 

Mom:  Where is daddy’s favorite place to go?

Ty:  To work.  Wuh-wuh-wuh-work.  What letter says wuh-wuh-wuh?  W!

Mom:  How old is daddy going to be on his birthday?

Ty:  I don’t know.

Mom:  Take a guess.

Ty: 29.

Mom:  Do you love daddy?

Ty:  Yeah.

Mom:  I love my daddy because…

Ty:  I love him so.

An interview with McKay, age 21 months, about his daddy

Mom:  Where does daddy like to go?

McKay:  Wuk (Work).

Mom:  What do you and daddy like to do together?

McKay:  Shoot baketbow (basketball) in da hoop.

Mom:  What present do you want to give daddy for his birthday?

McKay:  Um, wadepops (lollipops).

Mom:  What does daddy like to eat for dinner?

McKay:  Hot dog!!

Mom:  Do you love daddy?

McKay:  Yeah.

Mom:  I love my daddy because…

McKay:  (Laughs).

Adam spent the afternoon yesterday "breaking in" his new road bike.  He went on a 20-mile ride with a friend.  He came home with a big grin on his face, saying he had a blast.

We went out to dinner last night, just the two of us.  We went to Wash Park Grill, a definite favorite!  The food there is so beautiful you almost don't want to eat it, but then you do anyway, and you're so glad  you did because it's to die for delicious!
It was such a fun day.  I'm grateful for my (OLD!) husband who makes my life so great!

Ugh.

This is what my kitchen counter looks like tonight, and that doesn't include all the mass amounts of sugar, corn syrup, and red #40 that all four of us have already consumed in the last couple of days.  Yikes.  Good thing this only happens once a year.
Hope you're having a SWEET Valentines Day, too!

Too good not to share

I love a good deal.  I clip coupons from the Sunday paper, but that's usually the extent of it for me.  I am not willing to spend my entire life shopping at six different stores so that I only have to pay $20 a week for groceries.  That being said, though, I do get a serious high off getting a good deal.  So, last week, when I happened to stumble upon some newly marked-down clearance sales at Walmart, I was in a bit of a frenzy.  Here's what I ended up with:

That's a Tonka truck, Mega Blocks Garage and Gas Station, Playdough Burger Builder set, 2 Buzz Lightyears, 2 Old Spice deodorants, 2 Old Spice body washes, 6 pairs of kids' pajamas, a pair of workout capris (for me!), and a toy shopping cart.

Grand total?

$40.50

Yeah, I felt pretty good about that.  We are basically done shopping for both our boys' birthdays, and we picked up a few things for birthday party gifts, to boot.  And in case you were wondering, yes, I am aware we don't have any girls, and no, I am not pregnant.  I figured those little girl jammies might make a good shower gift for someone.

What do you do...

...when the HIGH for the day is -1 degree?  

Well first, you place yourself under house arrest, and you declare it pajama day!

Then, you should probably build a "tent" in your living room and read books inside it for at least an hour.

It would also be a good idea to have a parade around the house, singing your favorite Christmas songs as you go.

You should certainly NOT go to the grocery store in the evening when the temperature is -17 and the wind chill is -29.  If you have to, you better park as close as you can, and RUN from your car to the store!

What happens when the next day the high is only +1 degree?

Lockdown continues.  You might want to get out what little Valentine's Day decor you have and decorate your house.

You may even want to do a Valentine's Day craft or two.

You'll definitely want to make some soup and bread bowls, since everyone knows that's the perfect cold-day dinner.

And after two straight days without leaving the house, you may want to clean up a bit, since your house likely looks like a disaster area.

 

Or, you know, you could just take a four hour nap.  

Then when the day is finally done, you can pray hard that it warms up a tad so you can end your self-imposed house arrest.