"March"ing Forward!

Hello dear ones,

What a week! Ups and downs, as usual, but the Lord is mighty and He makes everything work for our good. Onward and upward-- CARRY ON!

This past week I have FINALLY been painting the coffee table and an end table from the living room with chalk paint. Yes, Mom is actually working on a project! I am wishing I could paint every bit of wood in our house WHITE, but we'll just see if I get this particular project finished before I get too ambitious.

;-)

New pi-nano!

I forgot to tell you that we got a new-to-us piano! It's a beautiful antique, and it has a lovely, though old-fashioned, tone. And best yet, ALL the keys work! YAY! I'm including a picture, so we'll need you to try it out for us someday.

Missionary News

M-- B-- is heading out to the MTC this month! I can't remember where she's going, but I think it's in South America. She'll do great! Her mom is so proud.


I think I saw on Facebook that M-- W-- just got to Hong Kong. That's about all I know, but you know M--; he'll do great work as a missionary!


B-- W-- leaves next week-- his farewell is Sunday. So Lliam and some of the other guys in the ward are going to get together this week.

Little ones on a long board

Family Stuff

Saturday, we spent real time together as a family at the park. Daddy and I brought some lunch and the kids all ate and ran and played. Eryn and Grayse both fell down and got scrapes, and the kids had fun pushing each other around on Lliam's longboard. Joy and tragedy all in one day! ;-)

Gorgeous weather! Warm AND overcast.
(With Fiona not having fun...)

I'm reading some new books on homeschool and organization-- yeah, the usual. LOL! We need to do a BIG PURGE, so that's another project I'm tackling.

Yesterday, Daddy and I fasted and prayed to know if we should put all our energy into trying to stay in this house, and we got a "Yes," so that's the new goal. Whether we are successful or not remains to be seen, but we are going to do ALL we can to stay in this house. We'd love it if you could join your prayers with our. Miracles CAN happen, right??? :)

Today it's "cold" and rainy. I mean 50-ish degrees! *tee-hee* But really, we Arizonans are enjoying the weather thoroughly.

We love you, and are so grateful for the good example you are setting for ALL of our family. We know the Church is true, and that the restored gospel is the only way we can return to our Heavenly Father.

I want you to know that your mother has a firm testimony of Jesus Christ and the reality of His life and resurrection. I want you to know that I will ALWAYS follow the living prophet. My one goal in life is to be true and faithful to the end, just as those who have come before us.

I love you, son. Keep up the hard work, the obedience, and the faith. Your faithfulness is a wonderful source of joy for me, and I appreciate you.

Much love,

Mama Rachel

Happy Groundhog Day!

Dear sweet peoples,

Well, it has been an in-ter-est-ing week. We have had a house full of sickies, beginning with Davy puking on Monday night, and then most of the rest barfing on Tuesday, with a few stragglers (Dad and Lliam) getting sick later in the week-- just in time for Granna and Pa to come! (Granna and Pa got here on Wednesday morning and just left last night.) Poor Granna did end up sick, but was well enough to go to church with us on Sunday, and to fly home that afternoon.

Goofy me and gorgeous Granna

The laundry room has officially been declared a disaster area. YIKES.

Granna and Pa brought down a moving truck full of things from them and from Grandma Nielsen.
​Wasn't that so sweet of them? We had a great time with them! ​It was like Christmas all over again, but this time with some tears. (From me.) It still doesn't feel like she's gone, but she was such a HUGE part of my life, that I know she will be with me-- and IN me-- always. She set such a wonderful example for me, and I want to be just like her. I want to make her proud of me!

Dierdre and friend serving at the temple.

Dierdre went to the temple to perform baptisms for the dead with her sweet little friend, C---. She got over her sickness just in time to go! She has some great friends in this ward. We are doing all we can to stay!

The stake presentation of "The Ten Virgins" that I'm in runs for three performances THIS SATURDAY!!! I am super, SUPER excited! I am hoping to take lots of pictures and take a video of the show so that I can send it to loved ones, like yourselves. It has been such a huge blessing in my life-- I just don't want it to end! I hope I remember the lessons I am learning from this experience. I want to be one of the WISE!

The kids loved having Granna and Pa here-- Fiona loved them, too, though she does take a while to warm up to people at first. She is such a mama's girl! 

Fiona warmed up to Pa pretty quickly.

She is sooo cute! Her newest thing is to smack her lips after someone kisses her. She is really good at mimicking sounds. And she is standing up and holding on to anything that will stay still. She crawls and babbles-- though she also likes to whisper-- so adorable! 

The kids are running around, playing, fighting, drawing, crafting, reading, some are even studying, and after a week of illness, the house is a disaster. SIGH. Hopefully, I can get them to clean up soon enough to take them all to the library this afternoon. (After the older boys all get HAIRCUTS.)

*They DID earn their library trip last week, in case you were wondering... ;-) )

We love you all!!!
~Mama Rachel

The Refiner's Fire

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." ~Romans 8:28

Love, Mama Rachel

Trials and Tribulations

The past week has been a real "adventure"-- and definitely not one I would have asked for. Yet, at the same time, I have felt the Lord's protection and love so strongly this past week. I know He is watching over our family.

We've had money problems, MAJOR teen troubles, car issues, toddler craziness, and even bodily injury. Needless to say, I'm EXHAUSTED.

{Just as a warning, some of what has happened might not be something you want to read, and the corresponding pictures might be too much for some people to handle. So, read on at your own discretion!!!}

A Battle for the Soul

First of all, we have a child who is struggling spiritually. I am a very transparent person-- I don't like secrets, and I can't stand ambiguity. However, this child's story is not mine to tell to the general public, so I will refrain from going into details here on my blog.

I can say that it has been the most difficult year of my life, and I am learning some very challenging, though amazing, lessons from it all. I have discovered things about myself that I never wanted to know, but I have also experienced some phenomenal changes in my own heart.

I am in awe of how God can can make the painful and devastating into goodness and light. He truly IS a God of miracles!!!

An Accident

And now, on to the latest drama at our house. It involves this little sweetheart:

Our smiley MacKenna, age 8

My girls like to keep their hair long. And I mean LONG. A trim around here is a big event. With two teenage girls, and five-- yes, FIVE-- little girls at our house, it's all about the hair.

So, right before the sun began setting last evening, we were buried in the usual evening craziness. I was furiously making dinner while talking to my mom on the phone, the big kids were watching an economics video, and the other kids were all playing in the basement-- or so I thought.

As I was talking to my mom, my twelve year old daughter, Dierdre, came running up to me with strong urgency telling me that our MacKenna had her hair caught in the AC unit outside. I ran outside with her, followed by a couple of other kids. Over my shoulder, I asked Dierdre to go grab my sewing scissors, and, while still on the phone with my mom, explaining that something bad was going on (I think I was too shocked to hang up), I made my way to the north side of our house, where our AC units sit on the ground. 

MacKenna was on top of the big unit, screaming and crying. I hung up with my mom, and was greeted by an unfamiliar young lady standing next to my daughter. Apparently, she had heard MacKenna's cries and screams, and had come through our side gate to help her. She had then knocked on our back door and let Dierdre know what was going on.

I tried to assess how to best help MacKenna. She was lying on top of the unit with her head laying flat against the cage surrounding the huge fan. The fan was stopped, but as I examined more closely, I could see that her hair had stopped the fan, as it was wound around it several times.

I poked the sewing scissors that Dierdre had brought to me through the cage around the fan, and slowly turned the fan to unwind her hair. The sweet young lady that was MacKenna's hero held up MacKenna's body to help ease the pressure on her head. Finally, we got her hair unwound, and were able to release her and put her back on the ground. 

Her hair looked burned in some places, and she said that she felt like her head was burned. On closer examination, we found that she had some hairs that were now hanging down below her regular hair length. Some clumps of hair had been pulled out.

OUCH.

MaKenna's savior excused herself, and I thanked her profusely, telling her that she was a true hero! (Luckily, my girls know our hero by name, and so I'm planning to do something special for her in gratitude.) I took my poor girl in the house to examine her better, and see what we could do to help make her more comfortable. 

MacKenna was very upset, sobbing her heart out, and I was trying to calm her, while not panicking, myself.

As I carefully brushed her hair, more clumps came out, and I found where her hair had come out at the roots. She has a little bald spot that-- thankfully-- is easily covered by her other hair. However, her hair was damaged and broken above her shoulders, and so I knew she would need a haircut. 

This is just some of the clumps of hair that came out.
This funny girl smiled for the pictures!

The new bald patch

I also knew that she would need to give her hair a real rest, in order to prompt her bald spot to grow back, and her head to heal. (There was NO damage to her scalp-- a real tender mercy!!!) So, a short haircut it was to be!

You can see how it's now thinner on the right side of her head.

Before the haircut, we wrapped her in a blanket, to keep her from getting shock, and I laid her on the couch to rest and calm down. The other little girls were so cute, bringing her toys, tucking the blanket around her, trying to make her more comfortable.

At one point, she said, "Mom, you know how you told me that the best way to calm down is to take deep breaths? I'm trying to calm down."

So I helped her regulate her breathing, and she was able to relax considerably. 

At this point, my 18 year old son announced that my missionary had written us an email. (WHAT??? I had been told that P-day was supposed to be tomorrow!!! :-( Crud...)

So, while MacKenna rested, I tried to explain to my missionary why he had not received a letter. :-( (Sometimes we can catch each other online, and almost "chat".) I also gave a quick recap of the drama going on at home. (All this while dinner was still on the stove. I think my son had the clarity of mind to turn the burners down.)

Our missionary had to go, so I promised to send him a "DearElder.com" letter with more details of the craziness, and got back to finishing dinner.

Russell finally got home from work, and we had to tell the whole story to him. He immediately gave MacKenna a blessing of comfort, and she calmed down even more. (She had gotten upset again in the telling of the story. I can't blame her!!!) 

I am so VERY grateful for the Priesthood power that my husband worthily uses to bless our family. It makes even the most scary things become less traumatic. We ALL felt more peaceful after Russell's sweet blessing!

I called my mom back to let her know that MacKenna was okay, and we all sat down to eat dinner.

The Haircut

Her "Before" pose. (With a smile again!)

And "After"-- she looks so grown up!

Life Lessons

All of these "trials and tribulations" have got me thinking. My daughter was just walking by the AC units, enjoying the breeze produced by them blowing in her hair. One second, she was having a quiet, serene moment alone, and the next she was terrified and in pain.

She had not been doing anything she shouldn't be doing, really. But she was close to danger, and had no idea of what was about to happen in an instant of being too close.

Don't these things happen to us all the same way? And sometimes by our own faulty judgment? One inch too close to danger, and we can be devastated by the results.

But even when we have blindly and unintentionally strayed too close to the danger zone, God sends us heroes, and help, and love, and comfort. Our Heavenly Father NEVER leaves us alone.

If we permit ourselves to learn from these difficult times, and allow our hearts to be humbled and changed, there are smiles and good things just around the corner.

Yes, He truly IS a God of miracles, large and small.

Love, Mama Rachel