This Week!

The Gilbert temple on President's Day

Hola, Elder Keppy-Face!!!

:-D

We are so, so sad we missed you last week. :-( But we hope you got our package, as a consolation for no letter. (Did you get it? Huh???)

This has been a busy week at Das Keppnerhaus. Last Sunday evening, we had Daddy's Keppner cousin and her family over for dinner. They live in San Tan Valley, and have three boys. The oldest is seventeen, the middle on is 14 (I think?), and their ten year old little guy is autistic, like Morganne and Gavin. It was crazy and fun, and it was wonderful to reconnect a bit. Who knew we had Keppner cousins in AZ?!

Early Monday morning, Avalon and I went to the dentist's office so she could get a tooth pulled, a spacer put in, and several teeth filled. After we got there, they weighed her and then gave her some special medicine to make her sleepy. She and I waited in a dark room where she laid down on a special little bed and watched a movie. When the medicine kicked in (She was so funny!), they led us in to a room where Avalon could sit in the dentist's special chair to get her work done. She was so good! She help still and hardly remembered a thing.

Avalon getting sleepy...

When we went home with her, she was so good about eating only soft things, and slept pretty much the entire rest of the day. We are so glad her owie tooth is better and that she was such a brave girl. (See the picture of her getting sleepy below.)

Tuesday afternoon, I took everyone but Gavin, Ronan, and Davy to see the E-- boys performing in "Seussical the Musical!" (Gavin and Ronan said they didn't want to see it, but they really missed out!) It was PHENOMENAL!!! Those musicals [high school] puts on are awesome, and we were so glad we got to see it. Sister E-- emailed me that their cast was performing the show at --- for FREE for some public school students, and that we could attend. There were plenty of seats available, so we got good ones and had a blast!

Morganne, Lliam, Bonny, and Dierdre were all raving as much as I did. You would have loved it, too. EVERYONE in the show was amazing-- it was just soooo good! One of the G-- boys played Jojo in the show, and did a great job.

Wednesday had the usual craziness, with mutual, scouts, and all. Ronan helped with the flag ceremony for the Blue and Gold banquet, so he was the only one who attended. Can you believe that we have NO Cub Scouts in our family right now? Weird...

Friday we had our TJLA classes. During my English Literature class in the afternoon, we had a really special experience. We are studying the early Victorian Era and were going over Tennyson's poetry specifically that day. In a flash of heavenly inspiration, I walked my class over to the basketball park, and I read them the poem "Crossing the Bar" out loud on the green rolling hills. Picture the cloudy sky above, with birds chirping in the background:

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

We then had a great, GREAT discussion on our life's callings, and what the future holds for us. I had then eat go off alone in the park, somewhere quiet, and had them write a list of FIVE things they want to do OR be before they "cross the bar." And by "crossing the bar," it could either mean before they die, or before they leave home, or...?

I did the exercise, too, and it totally made me cry and realize what is MOST important to me.

After gathering back together at the end of our debriefing discussion, I suddenly felt prompted by the Spirit to share how important Grandma Nielsen's living testimony has been to me in my life. I totally cried and bore my own testimony.

I don't know if the class helped the students that day, but I know it helped ME. Heavenly Father is so good to give what we need, right when we need it!

Saturday was full of housework and lazing about, too. Then, that evening, we went to a play done by another new homeschool group. The play was actually written and directed by D--, who also starred in the main role. It was fun and cute, though they had some itty bitty ones in their cast! (9 and 10 years old) It was a moralist story with a defined message, but also was done in Shakespearean-esque language, though not in iambic pentameter. I guess K-- and S-- helped write it, and S-- was also in it. We had a fun time, and I thought they did a great job. :-)


Yesterday was really great, with a wonderfully inspiring ward conference. (President D-- and Bishop W-- are so great!) Daddy and I both took several notes, and have some new goals. GOOD STUFF!

Just waiting...

This morning.... (drumroll please...) Lliam did something major!!!

He...


passed...


his...


driver's test!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He OFFICIALLY has a real Arizona driver's license.

WOW!!!

It's so exciting!!!! :-)

We love you, we miss you, and we know the work you are doing is the Lord's. We're so proud of you for your devotion to Jesus Christ and His work. Stay True and Faithful always. We love you!!!


Carry on,

Mama Rachel

Random February-ness

Our "Ten Virgins" cast

Dear ones,

We had a calm, good week-- my favorite part was being in the Ten Virgins musical! :-) I'm afraid I will subject you to several pictures on that subject! ;-)

Monday I took Lliam, Gavin, and Ronan to get haircuts. Yes, even Lliam was ready for a trim. I stopped in the McDonald's drive-thru for ice cream cones afterwards. It was nice to spoil them a bit. :-)

Haircuts make us happy!

On Tuesday I ran Morganne to Institute Choir at CGCC (Chandler-Gilbert Community College), and then Daddy took her back for Institute that evening. We need to get that girl driving soon!

Wednesday evening was New Beginnings for the Young Women. They had a fun "Cruise" theme and Dierdre brought home one of the decorations; a tiny goldfish she named "Goldilocks."

Our lovely "Goldilocks" (a.k.a. Dierdre)

We spent Thursday cleaning the house in preparation for feeding the missionaries that evening. Morganne made her famous chili and served it with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream. They couldn't stay long, but it was so nice to have them join us to eat. It sure makes us think of our missionary!

Friday morning's Biology class that's usually at our house was cancelled, so I gathered some props and stage decorations for the Ten Virgins play and after almost getting in a car accident on the way, (WHEW!) I headed over to the church to help decorate the stage. Even though I had my class to plan for later that afternoon, I decided to stay and help. It was so fun! I was draping fabric, pinning trim, and arranging decorations and props. I had a BLAST!

Our stage, all dressed up

About the play: It felt soooo wonderful to be using my talents to build up the Lord's kingdom. I had been praying for an opportunity to do so for a LONG time, and the Lord answered my prayers in a wonderful way! :-)

Cast members getting direction in between performances

We had our final dress rehearsal Friday night, where we also performed for our families. It was a little rocky, but overall, it went really well.

Saturday morning we had our first performance at 9am. President D--, our stake president, came and talked to us briefly after our warm up. It was so neat! He reminded us of how much the sisters in our stake needed to hear the message to prepare spiritually. We also performed at 11am and then again at 1pm. We really felt that the Lord used us to bring His daughters closer to Him that day. It was the BEST experience I have ever had being onstage. I loved every second!!!

Our director and pianist discuss song speed with our one dancer.

Being in this presentation has been such a blessing in my everyday life, too! It has helped me feel close to the Savior every day, and taught me lesson after lesson about staying in tune with the Spirit, and being prepared to meet the Lord. I have had some very sacred, personal experiences because of my preparation for the performances. I hope I remember them all! (Yes, I am recording them in my journal...)

Me, backstage

Last night, after choir practice, Daddy and I attended the Priesthood Preview meeting with RONAN! Can you believe it?! Yes, he turns 12 this year. He and all the boys in his group are so fun. There's a LOT of them! Most of the boys sat together on the front row, but even though they invited him to come and sit with them, Ronan wanted to sit with Daddy and I. That was sweet!

At the end of the inspiring meeting, Ronan and all the boys stood up at the front and sang "Armies of Helaman." I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye among the parents. (The sound cuts out in the middle when I accidently covered the mike, and you get subjected to my soprano voice at the end when the sound comes back up. I tried to sing quietly-- I really did! LOL!)



During the meeting, Brother--, who is in the stake YM presidency, said that only 35% of young men in the stake are going on missions! OUCH. Satan is really working hard to distract the young men in our area from serving. Yes, I cried.

We we miss you all, and we want you all to know how important you are to us. We pray for each of you daily, and love each one of you sooo much. May the Lord continue to bless and teach and heal us all!!!

Lots of love,
Mama Rachel

December Cometh!

Dear ones,

We had a great week, and a blessed Thanksgiving. We hope you all had the same!

The week started out slow, but then picked up steam as it went on.

Early in the week, I found out that I got a part in the Stake Relief Society musical! Wahoo! I will be playing the part of the Narrator (two solos! O.o) in a musical about the parable of the Ten Virgins. The music is beautiful, and I'm excited to get started! We perform it in February at a stake Relief Society activity.

I'm thrilled for the chance to play the Narrator!

On Wednesday, Bonny and Dierdre went to the temple with some friends that just moved from our ward. I watched the family's younger kids while they went. The girls had a great time! 

Bonny and friend

Thursday was Thanksgiving, of course, and Daddy, Lliam, Bonny, Dierdre, and I had a good time cooking, baking, and getting ready. Dad tried a new way to cook the turkey, but we cooked another 20+ pounder, so it took longer than we had hoped. (Typical, right? LOL!)

Thanksgiving action shot!

Bonny and Dierdre did all the pies, Lliam did the potatoes, and Dad and I did the rest. It was yummy! We hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving celebration, too. :-)

Happy Birthday to our Didi!

Friday was our Dierdre's birthday! Can you believe she's 13?! She and Bonny spent a good part of the morning setting up Pinterest and Gmail accounts for her. (She's decided she doesn't want a Facebook account. Which works because we're on a FB fast, anyway.)

13 Candles

We also spent Friday putting up all the Christmas decorations. YAY!!! In fact, Daddy and I actually got a NEW TREE! I know, I know. It's a miracle! It's a 7 foot tall wonder that looks the closest to real we've ever had. (Daddy and I ventured out on Black Friday to get it half off.)

A new tree!

Saturday was full of service for the youth, first cleaning the church, and then helping the C--- family move. Lliam also had his trek reunion on Saturday night, so he actually got to spend some time with Mark!


Mark looks great. He is so excited to leave for the MTC in the middle of this month. Hong Kong won't know what hit it! ;-) I know he's going to be a great missionary! He even took this semester off from college! I wish he and Lliam could get together more.


Sunday was lovely. Lliam had a meeting for his new job early on Sunday morning before church. He starts work at The Dollar Tree TODAY! He is excited to have a regular, non-temporary job. He was given a new bike by Brother C--- when he helped them move this weekend, so between the bike and his longboard, he's all set!


The kids and I are in full Christmas-happy-mode, listening to lots of Christmas music. (Look for something special in the mail this week, Elder Keppner!!!) They're all begging to go Christmas shopping, and some even have their shopping for siblings all done. Christmas will be here before we know it! (Yikes-- I need to get busy!)

Happy baby!

We look forward to having Morgie home for Christmas. Her ticket is bought, and we're trying to figure out how to rearrange rooms. We're also excited to be able to Skype with our Elder on Christmas day!!!

HALLELUJAH!!!! And Happy December, y'all! We love you!!!

Love,
Mama Rachel

The End of October

A Boy and his Horse

Dear ones,

We had a good week, and the kids are all looking forward to the Halloween festivities for this weekend.

This past weekend, Daddy set the tent up in the Family room, and we had tin foil dinners and s'mores to eat, and even told stories before going to bed. (In front of a video of a fire in a fireplace. It reminded us all of the log house in Idaho! Except warmer. ;-D ) It was really nice.

Fiona

I have been meaning to tell you about our brave and courageous Bonny. You know how she was cast to play a soldier in The Nutcracker Ballet? Well, she found out that they were going to require her to dance at least one Sunday performance. She asked me what she should do, and I told her that she knew how I felt, but that it was HER decision to make, and she would have to pray about it, and get her own answer.

Right before General Conference, Bonny came to me and said that she had been praying about dancing on Sunday, and that she had decided to listen to each talk in conference to hear an answer from Heavenly Father.

Wow. I was so thankful for her faith!

So, conference came, and it was wonderful, of course. After it was over, Bonny came to me privately and told me that she had received her answer. The Spirit confirmed to her that she should uphold her standards and not dance on Sunday. She was told that she needed to be a good example to her older and younger siblings by keeping the Sabbath day Holy and standing for truth.

She went to rehearsal the following Saturday, with a prayer in her heart, and told her ballet instructor that she would not be dancing in any Sunday performance. The instructor told her to talk to the artistic director, and so Bonny went to talk to her, interrupting a lesson. She explained that it was against her personal standards to perform on Sundays. The artistic director looked at her and said, "Then, you are dismissed."

So Bonny called Daddy to come and get her early.

Before they arrived home, Daddy called me to let me know what had happened. I knew how much dancing in the Nutcracker means to Bonny, and how many years she has been wishing she could dance with Ballet Etudes in that show. I prepared to receive a very sad, distraught girl.

Instead, when Bonny walked in the door, she was walking tall, and GLOWING. Her face was filled with peace, and I was SOOO proud of her!!! I still am. :-)

Avalon lost her first tooth!

We hope you are enjoying the beautiful Fall weather-- it is still supposed to be in the 90's here this week! But I never count on the weather cooling off until Halloween. That's just Arizona!

We wish you all a Happy Halloween this weekend! Picture of cute kids in costumes will be forthcoming next week, I am sure! ;-)

Love,
The Momster

No Baby Yet!

My girls and I in the Easter dresses my amazing mother sewed for all of us!

I am now 40 weeks pregnant, and I'm afraid that due to end-of-pregnancy-ennui, I have NOT been in the mood to write on any of my blogs.

*sigh*

But, since I should really record what's going on in our family's life right now, I thought I'd just share the email I sent to my missionary son this morning.

I hope my readers had a WONDERFUL Easter Sunday, and are having a happy Monday! :-)

Eryn loves Easter!

Easter Weekend

We had a wonderful Easter weekend! The big kids are helping so beautifully, and I REALLY appreciate it. Yesterday was the baby's due date, so I'm in that final stage where I'm just a big pregnant lump, waiting for the baby to come.


On Saturday, Bonny, Dierdre and I filled the plastic eggs, Lliam and Bonny hid them downstairs, and Dierdre dyed the eggs with the kids. We ate the boiled eggs for lunch, and had a fun egg hunt in the afternoon.


Then Sunday, the girls and I got dressed up in the homemade dresses Granna made for ALL of us!!! She is amazing-- she made dresses for Gina, Emmy, Libby, Morganne, herself, and Abby, too. We all looked marvelous! ;-) Daddy made his traditional Easter feast with ham, funeral potatoes, and peas, and we had strawberry shortcake last night to end the day.


Church was wonderful, and Dierdre and I sang with the ward choir. The bishopric spoke, and it was a great meeting! Sunday school was good, Relief Society was, too, and it was just a lovely peaceful day.

The kids sent you some Easter letters last week, and I hope you get them soon, if you haven't already. :-)



The Church has been using a beautiful new video in social media for Easter this year, that you probably already know about, called "Because of Him." It has been a great thing to share! It makes me cry every time. I know that I have been blessed so much in my life, and it's all because of HIM! I am so grateful for the Savior and all He has done for me and all those I love! He IS hope!

A Midsummer Night's Dream

The play is THIS weekend, and so things are still pretty crazy. Because the play is being performed outside at night, all of this week's rehearsals are at night. Tonight is a tech only rehearsal, but that will take Lliam, Bonny, and I think Deirdre, too. (Did I tell you that Gavin did not want to be in the play this year? He's become the babysitter. Ronan is in the play, though.)

Your brother, Lliam, is doing a PHENOMENAL job as Lysander!!! And yes, he gets to wear the pink poofie. Duke is wearing your old costume as Demetrius, and is also doing a great job. (Katelyn is Hermia, and Susanne is Helena-- also doing a great job! Lizzie is fantastic as Puck.)

We will send pictures, after the show!!!

Baby Keppner

Well, nothing is happening in the baby department, other than the baby gets bigger, and I get slower. I go to the doctor every week, and I am basically the one who gets to decide what happens now. I could go in and be induced any time, but with the play AND Daddy's conference both happening this week, it's not the best time. So I may wait until next Monday for induction.

We'll see. I'm pretty DONE!! :-p

I do have an appointment this afternoon. We'll see how things go.

At least the costumes are finished!

Davy is practicing being a big brother.

Davy learned a new word last weekend, and he LIKES it:

"PEEPS!"

We love and miss you, and hope you've had a wonderful Easter week, too. I'm counting down the days until Mother's Day!!!! 

(When I get to Skype with my missionary boy!)

Love, Mama Rachel

Celebrating Granny

L. to R.: My sister, Abby; my Bonny; my Morganne; my sister, Gina; Granny; my Lliam; Big Daddy; my Brennan; me

Taken about 1999

On Saturday, February 1st, my spunky, southern belle Granny passed away. My parents and Morganne drove down here to AZ so that my dad could say "goodbye" to her, but she passed before they got here.

We have felt Granny's sweet, loving, happy spirit nearby all through this process.

The funeral was last Tuesday at 11am.

This past week has been a busy one, driving back and forth to Peoria, and visiting with the family in town. It's been really nice, and Granna, Pa, and Morganne visited with us yesterday. They will go back to Idaho tomorrow, but we're enjoying them while they're here.

Abby, Wade, my dad, my mom, me, Gina

My sisters, Abby and Gina (with her little one, Emi) and my brother, Wade all flew in on last Monday. It was so fun to spend Monday afternoon with my sisters! Emi is really smart, and speaks in full sentences, even though she's only 2 years old. She is red-haired and potty-trained already, and she and the little girls had a WONDERFUL time playing and playing and playing. :-)

We had a nice visit, and then Russell drove them back to my Aunt Ann's house after he got home from work.

So then, Tuesday morning was Granny's funeral. We went out to the van, and... it wouldn't start. The interior lights had been left on, and the battery was dead. After working with it, charging it, and starting it again and again, Russell finally got it going. WHEW! Soooo typical!

So we drove to Peoria, and everything was fine, until we pulled onto the street where the church was at. Right then, Eryn (age 3) started puking.

Oy.

Luckily she was just carsick, and I spent any spare minutes we had cleaning her up in the church parking lot before we went inside. THANK GOODNESS she was wearing a zipped-up jacket that caught everything, and her dress was mostly fine.

We hurried in, and rushed to another room to practice our song (Our family sang "Oh, My Father" as a musical number. It went well!). That left us with just a minute or two to view Granny's body and greet all of the family.

I played the piano, and Morganne lead the music. Russell said the opening prayer. Ann gave Granny's life sketch. Then we sang our musical number. The Spirit was really strong. :-) Next, my awesome cousin, Bryan, gave a lovely talk on the plan of salvation, and then we were allowed to take turns coming up to talk about Granny and our memories about her.

It was great!!! :-) So much laughter amidst all the tears. It was awesome to talk about how she used to be-- how she is once again! That was cool.

The luncheon was yummy and we stayed and talked and ate for a long time. The little cousins played and played. (Unfortunately, Wade couldn't bring any of his kids. :-( That was sad!) We all worked together to take down all the tables and chairs, and they sent us home with all the leftover food.

We spent the rest of the day at my Aunt Ann's; eating, reminiscing, and watching kids' movies.

Wade with Granny at his mission homecoming

Wednesday and Thursday

Gina and Emi flew out early Wednesday morning, and then Ann and Pa flew out to Alabama with Granny's body for the burial. Abby and Granna were going to bring Wade to our house, but they started too late, and so they had to take him straight to the airport. Granna and Abby came to stay at our house. Bonny had ballet, and then the kids all left for the Cultural Celebration dance practice. (It's going really well!)

The next morning, on Thursday, I took Granna and Morganne to the temple Open House. It was wonderful! It's my second time going through, and the Spirit there is so strong. We had a lovely time.

We went back to the house and grabbed Abby, and went out to lunch, just us girls. We then went to Wal-Mart so that I could buy decorating fabric for the Family Ball on Friday. The kids had a great time doing crafts with Abby that night.

Abby and Grayse

Crazy Friday

Friday is now our crazy TJLA day. I ended up helping with Shakespeare in the afternoon, because Sister S-- was sick. I got to help Lliam and Katelyn on their scene-- the one where Lysander tries to talk Hermia into sleeping in the same spot. AWKWARD! But they did a good job, and are making some good acting choices. They are also making it completely G-rated, which I think is awesome, and they are both wonderful kids. I'm so proud of them!

All during the lunch hour, Sister D-- was here working on the table centerpieces. She did an AWESOME job with the Ball! It looked like a gorgeous wedding reception! She put a LOT of work and effort into it.

Friday night was the TJLA Family Ball at the Barn and it was AWESOME!!! V-- was the MC, and she and Lliam taught everyone how to do the waltz and the swing. We had awards for the different scholar classes interspersed between the songs, and there was lots and LOTS of food. We even had a professional photographer there. It was a SMASH! Everyone had a great time.

Avalon dancing the night away with a small gentleman

Lliam giving dancing encouragement and instruction

Davy dancing with Bonny

Lliam teaching MacKenna to dance

Dierdre dancing with a dashing young man

Granna dancing with Eryn

Gavin refusing to dance

Ronan also refused to dance

Abby and Granna came to the Ball for a little while, and Abby got some pictures with her camera. One of the cute little boys in our group and Avalon danced the night away, and it took another sweet little guy almost the entire evening, but he FINALLY, with the help of his mom, asked Grayse to dance. LOL!

Grayse dancing with a sweet little gentleman

Saturday

Abby flew back to Austin, TX Saturday morning, and Granna and I went through TJLA costumes for Midsummer Night's Dream Saturday afternoon. I am excited to try them on everyone in the cast, and see what else I need to make.

Costumes to Sew

The Gilbert Temple Cultural Center is coming soon, and the teens at our house are busy learning music, dances, and sign language in preparation. I will be busy this week making the costumes for their big dance number. I have two girls' costumes and two boys' costumes to sew, so I need to get busy! If I get them all done quickly, I will have time to sort more through the Midsummer Night's Dream costumes.

My Big Daddy and Granny as newlyweds

I love Granny!

I am so grateful and relieved that my Granny is no longer suffering from the debilitating effects of her dementia. I know that she is now FREE!!! She is the same funny, spunky, witty, loving Granny that we all knew and loved. I have never met anyone else like her, and I know I never will again. 

I feel her presence with me from time to time, and I know that she is doing an important work on the other side of the veil. She has already performed little miracles for us, since she's been gone. I love her dearly, and I KNOW I will see her again. 

She gives me strength to keep doing my best, and to not give up on anyone. She was a wonderful example of love for me, and she will always be an amazing woman that I look up to. 

We love you, Granny!!!

Love, Mama Rachel

Shtuff

My Russell's tomatoes

Hello out there!!!

Yes, it's been a while. The Shakespeare play coincided with our van dying, Mormon PROM, gardening, trying to get missionary stuff done, and now a move.

YES. We are moving!!!

Not too far, but to a new stake and ward and neighborhood. In fact, we are moving into a BIGGER house with a basement (a rarity here in AZ!) in the neighborhood where we meet with our homeschool group each week. YAY!!!

But we have to move out of our awesome ward and out of our awesome landlord's house. BOO!

In the end the lure of another bathroom, the basement, and less driving for us each week won us over.

Let the packing commence!!!

Nineteen and ready to serve!

In other news, our beautiful oldest daughter was evaluated and officially diagnosed with Autism. And as a result, our bishop and stake president decided that a service mission would be best for her. After discussion, prayer, and asking for permission, she will be serving in the little town I grew up in while living with my parents. Isn't that so cool?! She gets to have some time to just be a missionary, almost on her own, and my mom gets a cute and sweet roommate. She will be serving in the Humanitarian center in I.F. with my aunt and uncle, as well as my mom and Grandma. She'll be close to Russell's family, and can see them often. Win all around!!!

Isn't Heavenly Father so smart?!

Okay, now for some pictures from Mormon Prom! (I'll add Shakespeare play pictures soon.)

Brennan and Valarie

Lliam and Lizzie (Yes, they went "Steam Punk")

Be back soon with pictures from the play!

Love,

Mama Rachel

Pressing Forward

William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon

For more than a year I've been writing what can only be described as a "curriculum" for teaching Shakespeare. Last summer, I finished the first part, which is for teaching students about the Bard and the Elizabethan Age. It has weekly lessons that can be taught as a precursor to putting on a Shakespeare play. While it's meant to be used for homeschooling moms who want to teach their children and their kids' friends in a class atmosphere, it could be used for one family.

But right now, I'm working hard to finish the acting and directing guide for putting on a Shakespeare play. It's been a much bigger effort than I had supposed it would be, even though I have a lot of experience teaching acting and directing shows. Some things are just not easy to translate into words! I mean, most of what I learned before I jumped in the directing trenches was from the examples of the many teachers and directors I worked with throughout my youth. Putting all those lessons I learned into words is not the easiest thing for me to do. *whew!*

Today, I've been sitting at the computer, pounding out what to do and expect in the audition process. With only a few breaks for things like perusing Pinterest, it has taken me this entire day!

In contrast to the writing I've been doing, compared to posting on my blogs, I can say that blogging is a process that takes much less effort! I'm not sure what that says about the quality of my writing on my blogs, but...

I hope all my blogging buddies are enjoying their summers! I promise not to completely abandon my blogs, but hopefully this is a good explanation as to why I've been away.

On to the next!!!

Love,
Mama

On Asperger Syndrome: Morganne's History Part 2

Morganne at 18 Months Old in 1995

To understand this post, please go back and read Part 1 of Morganne's story.

She's BACK!
I didn't understand the how or the why, but I did know that our Morganne was back! It was like she was a princess in a fairy tale who had woken up from an evil spell. She still didn't like being pressured, and still had some catching up to do on her speech, but she was suddenly much more aware of the rest of us-- she played more with her brothers, she could look us in the eyes, she began speaking again.

Not long after her vaccinations at age 2.  (Early 1996)
Notice the food in her hand to get her to stay put. And the wary look she has.

I was humbled, though still perplexed at where our girl had been all this time. The only thing I knew about autism was from movies like "Rain Man." And that was not anything like what we'd been going through. I NEVER considered that might be the problem.

I had never heard the term "Asperger Syndrome." We simply moved forward, relieved and ecstatic for things to calm down and be "normal." I was in awe at the hope I now held for my little girl.

Photo with my family before my brother left to serve his mission. (1996)
Russell had to hold Morganne down-- she was not happy.

Lliam was 3 months old here.  (1996)
Morganne was happy because the photographer gave her a fist full of Smarties.

Meanwhile, I was expecting baby #4-- our Miss Bonny. Morganne was very excited for a baby sister! When she came to the hospital with her Daddy and brothers, she exclaimed "Just like Lliam!!!" I was astounded that she was connecting the past when she had hardly seemed to notice or care when Lliam was born. This new excitement and recognition was miraculous!

At this exact moment, Morganne was telling me "Just like Lliam!"

When Russell brought me home from the hospital, Morganne rushed out the door and pulled my bag from the car. SHE was the big sister! She did all she could to help her mama, and loved Miss Bonny so much.

Our Family in early 1999
(See that smile on Miss Morganne? That's the real deal!)

Time passed, and one day my Aunt Ann came to visit us in Provo from Arizona. As she left, she gave me a newspaper clipping that she'd cut out of her local paper. She said that the article reminded her a bit of Morganne. I thanked her brusquely, thinking, "Nothing's wrong with Morganne, NOW. But that's nice. I'll read it sometime." 

Later, I took advantage of a quiet moment after all the kids were in bed to read the article. It was about children with autism. The more I read, the more my heart pounded-- the behaviors were so familiar. The article was describing the "old Morganne" that had disappeared.

Autism.

The Internet was catching hold, and so I read online all I could on the subject. As I found out about the possible link between vaccinations and the disease, I was wracked with guilt, sobbing uncontrollably. 

Could I have done that to my baby? 

I really didn't know for sure. All I knew was that she was a different child overnight just after she turned 2 years old, right after she received her shots.

The "how" of her autism was never clear, but I was so relieved to know that none of us had imagined her difficulty. And that we were not the only family in the world who had dealt with a child changing overnight.

Morganne getting baptized at age 8 (Early 2002)

Life with Asperger's

The years rolled on, and Morganne continued to progress. But she never was the same as other kids her age. In some things, she was far beyond them. For example, she taught herself to read. She also had perfect audio recall-- she could memorize everything she heard. Her memory was astounding, too. She could remember details and events none of us had noticed or recalled.

She still could not handle being pressured in any way-- especially socially. She attended Primary at church, and loved to be around others, but she could not handle the glare of the spotlight-- any pressure to perform in front of a crowd melted her into tears. I learned more about Asperger's and about the WIDE spectrum of autism. It helped me to be more patient with her and her struggles. And it helped to share her condition with her teachers and leaders at church, all of whom were loving and supportive of Morganne and our family.

I remember when she gave her FIRST talk in Primary. She was ten years old, and was part of a class of very sweet girls who loved her fiercely. They cheered her on, smiling and encouraging her through every word. When she sat back down, her class all squealed with delight, exclaiming "Good job, Morganne!" She grinned from ear to ear, and I was so grateful! Morganne had conquered a great fear! And it was because of the love and acceptance she felt from the girls in her class.

Morganne on her 11th birthday

Sometimes, Morganne could not find the right words to say, so she would just look deeply into my eyes, willing me to understand what she needed, how she felt. This is still something she does today-- words are so elusive for her to express! But I have never had a problem understanding what her eyes are saying. Her soul speaks louder than words ever could.

Morganne also has trouble reading out loud in front of anyone-- even her family. She stutters her words; those pesky words! BUT, she can memorize ANYTHING! And when she recites what she memorizes, she does not stutter in the least!!!

Shakespeare Magic

Morganne in her first role as Olivia's maid in "Twelfth Night"

A couple years ago, we put on Shakespeare's A Midummer Night's Dream with our local homeschool group. After the auditions, I was casting the show, trying to decide between Morganne and another girl for a lead role.

I was so torn-- Morganne had stuttered a lot during her reading at the audition, but I knew what she was capable of from her tiny role the year before. (She had not only memorized her own lines, but everyone else's in the show!) 

A part of me was afraid that some of the kids or parents in the group would think I was favoring my child over someone else. It was extremely hard to know what to do. But as I prayed for guidance, the Holy Spirit very clearly told me that Morganne needed and deserved the part! So I cast her as Hermia, one of the four lovers in the show.

She did a PHENOMENAL job! She never stuttered one word. She had every line and every entrance memorized and perfected. Her leaders and friends, both from class and from our ward congregation were astounded when they saw her perform! It was another miracle, a huge blessing for us all.

Morganne as Hermia, with her Lysander

All Grown Up

Over the years, I have learned so much from Morganne! I am a VERY verbal person, and so I have not always been as patient or understanding as I could or should have been of Morganne and her needs. But she continues to be patient with me and my limitations.

Morganne still hates to be pressured into anything she is not ready for. And we have all learned to respect and honor who she is, without trying to get her to be anything other than Miss Morganne. She has a very calming, quiet spirit about her. She is patient and quiet, loving and tolerant. She loves to cook, to read, and to write in her journal every night. She wants nothing more out of life than to be a wife and mother.

She knows the scriptures better than anyone I have ever known-- she still has an incredible mastery of memorizing. If we need a scripture reference, or need to be reminded about what someone said or did in the past, we just go to Morganne and she can tell us exactly what we need to know.

Morganne loves to be HOME, surrounded by those who love and understand her. And she loves to be around her peers, though she doesn't say much, or really knows how to be an intimate friend with someone. But that does not bother her-- she loves everyone she comes in contact with.

And we love her, oh, so much. I am so grateful and humbled that I get to be her mother!

So while Morganne will not be marching down an aisle with a cap and gown this spring, and will not be leaving us to attend college any time soon, she is doing exactly what the Lord has in mind for her today.

And I am so very proud.

(I love you, Miss Morgie!)

Love,
Mom