Girls vs. Boys

I'm pretty sure that most of you know that I have 6 boys and 1 girl, in that order.  I loved being a boy mom.  I never wanted a girl.  Boys have nearly 0 drama and get over things instantly.  They are fun and crazy and I never worried about offending them because they just had so much confidence and didn't take anything personally the way that girls do.  Then we had our girl and I worried a little that things were going to be much harder.  I kept waiting for them to get harder and they never did.  I don't know if it was because she lived with wolves, I mean boys, her whole life or if she was just born that way but she has been the most boy-like girl without being the least bit masculine that I have ever seen.  She has all the easy going qualities of the boys while not sacrificing any of the softness and sweetness of a girl.  Now that we are all adults I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for her.  I realize that the wonderful things about the boys are really not so wonderful now that we are adults and I really want to talk to them and be a part of their lives.  Boys don't do small talk.  They don't care about stuff that I care about.  They have somebody else to talk to now.  I cherish going through college with Vannie.  She is hilarious.  She texts me and calls me about the littlest things and I love it!  Every word a boy says to her or even a look or any little detail is never too unimportant for her to share with me.  I share these with my husband and (except when a boy is involved) he just looks at me like, who cares?  Girls and boys are so different and it makes life wonderful.  What would we do without either one?

Traditions

When my kids were young I never really thought about the details of their weddings and what I might give them for this special event, probably because they were all boys for the longest time and I knew that they wouldn't care about that kind of thing.  Then Alana entered our lives and she was a girl! Suddenly I'm the mother of the groom at a bridal shower and I have no idea what to give this new girl in our family. The boys have always been happy with a new pair of basketball shorts or a t-shirt for every special occasion.  I was pretty sure that wasn't going to fly in this situation.  Thus, the wedding traditions were born out of sheer desperation.  I got the idea to have a necklace engraved with the words "Forever Moore".  Alana is not a cryer, never has been, but when she opened my gift and cried right in front of all her friends I knew that I had hit on a winner.  The effect on the other girls wasn't quite as dramatic because they all knew it was coming but I hope they like them and know that they were given in love.  I happen to not have very many crafty talents but I do know how to crochet a little so I took it upon myself to make each couple an afghan for their home.  I knew this was something that they couldn't buy and that it was homemade with lots of love so this also became a tradition.  I love seeing these blankets in their homes.  Many years ago in my ward there was a homemaking night dedicated to Family Home Evening.  Everyone knows I am all about FHE and credit it for much of my family's success so when they offered binders with organized lessons and pictures and scriptures, I thought ahead to my 7 children as adults and parents and had the foresight (a rare occasion) to buy one for each of them.  I stored them in my hope chest and when they each got married I gave them one.  Last year, for Christmas, Pat and I got all the married kids a picture of the San Diego Temple with their wedding date and the words "Forever Moore" on them.  So, when Brandon and Ashleigh got married this year that became part of their wedding packet.  Savannah will get one when she gets married.  I loved having these traditions evolve and am sad that I only have one more child to do them for but luckily I have started a couple of grandchildren traditions that can go on for much longer:)  When the kids have a baby then the mom gets a heart necklace at her baby shower and when the baby is born then she gets a birthstone charm to put on her necklace to match her baby's birth month.  She also gets a baby afghan (that really is my only crafty talent so I use it any time I can:))  I have a matching necklace with all of my grandchildren's charms on it.  I'm going to have to get another one because they are just getting started and mine is almost full.  I love that they can look forward to the gifts I'm going to give them because of the traditions we have started.  I love my family with all of my heart and I hope that they can feel some of that love through the personal gifts that I have given them as they enter into these new phases of their lives.

Annual Entertainment

In my church there is one Sunday that everyone looks forward to the most every year, the infamous Primary Program.  This is where the little children, ages 3-11, sing and say their little parts and generally give us the greatest show on earth.  There is always a fun surprise or two as only little children can produce.  Since I haven't had an 11 year old for a very long time and since I only have 2 grandchildren who are old enough to participate in this activity and since said grandchildren don't live anywhere near me I have not had the opportunity to see anyone with my last name in this program for quite some time.  Well, last week I just happened to be in Arizona helping with my newest grandson when, lo and behold, that Sunday was the Primary Program!  I was so excited to see Landon perform.  We practiced his little one line part with him all week but he never once said it right.  He would ad lib and come up with ridiculous sayings every time.  We started to realize that we really had no idea what would come out of his mouth come Sunday morning.  I've never had a child like that before.  My kids were all very shy and quiet and petrified of their speaking parts.  They memorized them perfectly and in perfect monotones as only their dad can do they shakily delivered them right on cue, (except for Hunter who is so shy that he just hung his head and wouldn't say a word).  When the day came I was super excited to see the next generation in action and sure enough, he didn't disappoint.  He wiggled and fidgeted through all the songs, not singing a note until his favorite one came up.  He chewed on his tie and sat on his teacher's lap and stretched his arms above his head numerous times.  He, physically, looked so much like his dad at that age that it was spooky.  When it came time for his speaking part he yelled (yes, yelled) into the microphone a line that we had not previously practiced, ever.  After regaining our hearing, his mom and I just looked at each other, smiled and shook our heads.  That's our boy.  Another greatest show on earth in the books:)

Payback

There's nothing more gratifying than seeing your hard work pay off.  I spent the week in Arizona helping my son and his wife with their new baby.  It was wonderful watching them interact with each other and with their two other children.  It was obvious that they were teaching their children the very same values that we taught our children.  My son is a great dad and he is even better at many things than his own dad was and he is a pretty great dad.  One day the two older kids and I were playing with the nerf dart guns I had bought them and we discovered that Chloe (who is 2) had lost hers and she was very distraught.  We looked everywhere and couldn't find it so Landon (5) said that we needed to pray to Heavenly Father so he could help us find it.  I got all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that these little children already had the foundation of faith that would carry them through life.  I was so proud of my son and his wife for instilling that faith in them.  Landon prayed and not 10 seconds later I nearly stepped on Chloe's gun which was sitting right on the kitchen rug and blended in with the colors so completely that we initially couldn't see it.  We said a prayer of gratitude and continued playing but my prayer of gratitude will be in my heart forever for these precious souls and their valiant parents who are fighting the good fight for the only thing that matters.

Disneyland

"The Happiest Place on Earth".  Truer words were never spoken.  One of the best things we have done in the past couple of years is get season passes to Disneyland.  There is no place on earth quite like it.  Even though we have been several times now, it never gets old.  We love going with grandkids and kids as they come into town and we loved introducing our Australian exchange student to it but we really love just going by ourselves for a couple of hours and doing things that we would never have done if we only had one day to do everything.  We live about 1 hour from Disneyland so we can just wake up when we want, beat all commuter traffic, go there for just a few hours and then come home whenever we want.  When our exchange student was buying his nieces some Mickey ears for souvenirs it dawned on me that those little girls will probably never get to see the real thing because they live so far away and it made me sad for them but really grateful that I get to go whenever I want.  It really never gets old.  I get the same tingling in my tummy when I know I get to go on my favorite ride, Pirates of the Caribbean and see all the Disney princesses and feel the feeling that is distinctly Disneyland. Christmas is my favorite because they decorate so beautifully and they have fireworks and snow and it is truly magical.   You can't help but be happy when you are there.

Fun little DIY project part 2

This is totally not my idea but I can't remember where I saw it so I don't know who to give credit to but I've had enough comments on it to make it warrant an appearance on the blog:)This is my "Treasure Wall".  It displays my greatest treasures.  In the beginning, it featured all of the kids prom pictures and senior pictures with a couple of other fun shots included.  Then it progressed to their wedding pictures and now it features their family pictures with a new update each Christmas.  That is all I ever ask them for for Christmas is a new family picture.  I love this wall.  All I did was hang a decorative curtain rod and then tie pretty pieces of ribbon in different lengths and hand the pictures from them.  Since my family is quite large I had to attach a few of the pictures to the actual wall without ribbons but it looks O.K. so I'm happy.  Display your greatest treasures and look at them often.  Great way to brighten your day:)

Fun little DIY part 1

I think we are born with a large part of our personalities.  I was born cheap.  I have a terrible time spending money and especially on anything the least bit expensive.  Luckily, my husband values nice things a little more so we don't actually live in a cardboard box but I am always trying to cut corners and spend as little as possible.  I hate ceiling fans because they are not pretty.  We don't have air conditioning in our house so we desperately need ceiling fans but they are still ugly and do not, in any way, go with my decor.  So... I devised a cheap (very cheap) way to make them look a little more Victorian or antiquey .  I wanted them to look like an old Victorian chandelier so I took some scrap fabric I had laying around and wrapped it around the top and bottom of the fan base.  I hot glued the fabric in place and pinned it together.  Then I took some ribbon and tied it in the middle.  After adding some fringe and little stones that cost nearly nothing (all hot glued) I had a little less offensive ceiling fan that I could live with.  Voile'!

Reunion!

I just got the news on Facebook that my high school class will be holding our (mumble, mumble, um... er...ahhh) reunion next year.  Nobody really needs to know that I'm celebrating being out of high school longer than most of you have been alive.  I have a feeling that this particular reunion will be the most fun.  In the first few reunions everyone is still so worried about their weight and looks and profession and everything shallow and not important about themselves.  Basically, high school days all over again.  This one, however, feels like it will be different.  I got very excited at the thought of seeing people that I wasn't really all that good of friends with way back when because, let's face it, Mormons don't really do what everyone else does in high school so I didn't really have much in common with the rest of my classmates.  I was the principal's daughter so I was pretty well known but our weekends were spent very differently, ha ha!  Now, I think we all have much more in common and therefore will have a great time at this party.  We have put aside the angst about the looks because, really, there isn't much we an do about them at our age.  Of course there will be lots of pounds lost between now and then and everyone will still try to put their best self forward but we all don't really care that much anymore about dumb things like that.  It won't really matter what everyone did for a living because we are getting close to not doing it anymore.  We will all be sharing pictures of our children and grandchildren and reminiscing about all the fun times we had as Vikings at Montgomery High School way back when.  We will become much closer than we were in high school because the competition will be gone and we will all realize that we have much more in common than we once thought.  We have all made it through the majority of our life and can just enjoy each other as friends and fellow warriors that have made it this far. As an added bonus, my dear husband went to my high school also and so knows a lot of my friends and will feel very comfortable there.  We will win, again, for most kids and probably for most grandkids this time, and I will accept my award proudly and enjoy being with my fellow Vikings one more time because, at our age, it could be the last time for a lot of us.  I can't wait to see you all!  We are the V-I-K-I-N-G-S of MHS!

He's Here!

Grandchild #9 - Jackson Rocket Moore!  8 lbs. and 19.5 inches.  Perfect in every way.  So happy for Logan and Michelle.  Can't wait to meet him next week:)

Technology

I used to be a major technophobe.  I could barely work a computer and I didn't see the need for cellphones and all the gadgets and gizmos that everyone was wasting their money on.  Then my kids grew up and moved away.  Now, I think Facebook, Instagram, snapchat and texting are the greatest inventions that mankind has ever come up with! I can carry on a conversation with my whole family via group text wherever they are in the world! We can rip apart football teams as if we were sitting right next to each other on the couch and we can celebrate every good thing that happens in our family right when it happens. Pictures of my grandchildren pop up all the time and I get to experience college life with my daughter practically right as she's living it.  When used correctly and not to excess these inventions can bring families closer than they have ever been and I couldn't be happier to be considered a techie!  (My kids would die laughing at the thought of me referring to myself as a techie, ha ha!  I still can't even turn on the T.V. by myself).

Grandma X 9

My ninth grandchild is making his way into this world as I type these words and his imminent appearance has got me thinking about things like life, family and grandparenting.

Life is such a miracle!  As each of my own children and now my grandchildren have made their way to this earth I can't help but marvel at the miracle of the human body and soul.  This little boy who is struggling to push his way out into this marvelous world has been loved since the moment we all knew he was in his mommy's tummy.  We have been speculating as to what he would look like and what fun personality he will contribute to our ever expanding family.  He is real to us and has been since we knew he was coming.  There are so many things that babies learn inside the womb that I had no idea about until we were blessed with sweet baby Rylie who came way too early to learn lots of those things and is now trying to learn them on the outside which, apparently is much harder and takes much longer than doing it the natural way.  The natural way is perfect and not an accident or a haphazard jumble of events.  God made spirits and bodies and they are perfect and wonderful and miraculous.  I can't wait to meet my next best buddy:)

As we all gather around our phones awaiting the news of our new arrival I also marvel at the miracle of family.  I love the people who share my last name so much that I know I didn't just know them in this life.  I'm sure I knew and loved them before because our bond is so strong and so sweet that it must be celestial.  I have no idea how it works but I'm sure that the Moore family was destined to be made up of the 22 people that currently make up who we are.  Family is forever and in our case, Forever Moore.

Lastly, I'd like to touch on the miracle of "Grandparenthood".  This is such a different love from the love of a parent to a child.  There is definitely a sense of knowing each other before this life.  None of my grandchildren live close to me and it always amazes me that no matter how much time passes between their visits the bond between those babies and me is instant.  Even when they are too little to know or remember who I am, they come right to me and aren't afraid at all.  When they should be clinging to their moms because a "stranger" is slobbering all over them, they come right to me and snuggle me.  They KNOW how much I love them.  They can sense it and they feel the bond of family, I'm sure of it.  To me, there is nothing stronger than the bond of family and I love mine with everything in me.  I thank the Lord daily for giving me these people to spend the rest of eternity with.

Family Favorites

I may or may not have shared these desserts on here before but since I am of a certain age I can't remember so I am either doing it again or doing it for the first time :)  These are a couple of our family favorite desserts and they are both super easy so I am sharing them with you.

The first doesn't have a name so you can name it whatever you want.  The ingredients are:

Ritz crackers
Peanut Butter
Dark chocolate dipping chocolates

All you do is put peanut butter between two Ritz crackers and then dunk the whole thing in melted dipping chocolate and let it sit for a couple of minutes until it's dry.  You can do this with any combination of cracker or cookie (Oreos would be good) but the combination of the salt in the cracker, the peanut butter and the chocolate is out of this world!  Makes a ton and is super fast and easy.

The second is called the Homemade Oreo.  The ingredients for this one are:

2 boxes of Devils Food cake
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of shortening
favorite flavor of frosting

Mix up the first 3 ingredients and then roll them in small balls and bake on a cookie sheet for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let cool and then put two cookies together with your favorite frosting in between.

Just in time for the holidays!  Enjoy:)

Football Funeral

This past spring my son got released from the BYU football team and I think it will come as a shock to some that the predominant feeling I had was....relief.  I had feelings of sorrow for him and the loss of his dream but overall I just felt overwhelming relief that he would never have to suffer an injury like I've seen in every single game I've ever watched.  I had a feeling throughout the whole last season, which was his first season, that I should appreciate every moment that he was on the team and I can honestly say that I did.  We went to every home game and a few firesides and all of the Cougar Walks and the pregame festivities.  We were there when he got to actually play in Lavell Edwards Stadium and feel the thrill of watching him run out onto the field with the rest of the team at every home game.  I absolutely loved every minute of it and felt like we had been with him for an entire 4 year career so when they released him I didn't feel like we had missed out on anything.  I still felt bad for him because his dream of playing and even going on to the next level had come to an abrupt end but when he decided to stay at BYU and not pursue a couple of other schools that showed interest in having him play, I knew that he was done and that his heart had actually switched teams to his wife and daughter.  He now works as an assistant recruiter for the team which is a little bittersweet for him.  He is helping to welcome kids to come and play in his spot and while he loves still being connected to football and getting all the perks that working for the school provides, I'm sure he still dreams of playing starting quarterback for the Cougars on a regular basis.  I will be forever grateful for the experience we got to have of being parents to a BYU quarterback but I'm also very relieved that he was able to walk away from the game in one piece and to be able to enjoy his life in full health.  I'm super proud of you, Hunter, and will always be your biggest fan.  GO COUGARS!!

Funny Blessings

Since officially becoming an empty-nester in August I have been praying for opportunities to serve and make good use of my time.  I have no desire to get a full-time job because I travel to see my kids too much and I don't like having a super rigid schedule every day but I find myself having a ton of spare time and wanted something worthwhile to fill it.  So.... the Lord, in all his wisdom, called me to be the Young Women President in my ward.  This is possibly the busiest calling a woman can have in a ward and I've already done it before, in this ward.  Nobody in their right mind would actually want this calling because it is so time consuming.  And yet, I am thanking the Lord every single day for knowing me and for letting me serve in this capacity at this time in my life.  The women I picked to serve with me were the same girls I taught 15 years ago when I had this calling before.  I am, by far, the oldest person in the program except for my Laurel Advisor who is just a few years younger than me.  Every other leader could be my daughter and I am LOVING serving with them.  They are so energetic and creative and just downright good!  I also LOVE the girls that we are serving.  They are extremely diverse and cute and fun and I look forward to being with them all the time!  Most people would think I was crazy for being so grateful for such a hard calling but this is exactly what I need in my life right now and I know God knows that.  He works in mysterious ways and I'm so thankful that He does.  Bring on TOV YW Pres. 2.0!  I'm ready!!!

Talia

This little doll is 2 today!  She is the third daughter of my son, Tanner, and his wife, Alana.  She is hilarious and adorable and I love her to pieces.  Happy Birthday, sweet Talia:)

Ante

24 years ago a 17 year old boy from Australia came to stay with us for a couple of weeks as an exchange student.  We had never met him and knew nothing about him but he quickly found a place in our hearts and we all loved him.  He came back to visit us 10 years later for a few days and we had a couple more kids who also grew to love him.  14 years after that (a couple of weeks ago) he came back to visit again and it was wonderful!  He has grown into a smart, kind, handsome man and we love him even more.  We were able to take him to Disneyland, on a tour of the Midway in San Diego, to all of our favorite eating places, the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center and Old Town and then up to Las Vegas and Utah.  He had never been to any of these places before and had an absolute blast!  He got to go to the buffet at the Bellagio in Vegas, the Conference Center, temple and Mormon Museum in Salt Lake and then to a BYU home game where he got to go down on the field with the players before the game.  He brought us gifts and we gave him gifts but the greatest gift he got while he was here was when he went up to Seattle for a weekend to see a Seahawks game and met the love of his life!  He went on one date with her and just "knew" so he extended his trip by a couple of weeks and is now trying to figure out how to get over here permanently so he can be with her.  Best. Love. Story. Ever! Since he's like a son to me I can't tell you how happy I am that he has finally found someone he can spend the rest of his life with.  Selfishly, I am also thrilled that he will be in Seattle and not Australia so we can see him a lot more often than every decade or so. Ante, you have made our lives richer by being in them.  G'day, mate!!

Miracle!

No, the miracle isn't that I'm finally posting on this thing again, ha ha!  The miracle is that my eldest son finally broke down and got married!  He's the last of the six boys to do it and we couldn't be happier for him.  He married a saint named Ashleigh who we all love to death.  We all, (Ashleigh included) have been waiting for about 7 years for our dear boy to open his eyes and see her as his eternal companion instead of just a cool family friend.  Ashleigh is a very easy going and smart young lady who has a great job and loads of friends.  All of that doesn't really matter though because she loves my son and that's all I care about:)  The wedding was wonderful and they are as happy as can be living up on the hill right above us.  I've had a VERY good experience when it comes to marriage so I am super happy that all of my boys are enjoying this wonderful institution now. Welcome to the family, Shlee!  You are finally "Forever Moore"!